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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · mark · straw · fan · arm · vault · suit · tear

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. press — a publisher
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mark — a trace
  6. tear — to rip
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mark — a grade
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. tear — from crying
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — clothes
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. suit — to fit
  24. press — to push

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com