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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 124 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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Word bank
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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 · pass · mate · face · toast · hand · vault · swing

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. swing — to play on
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mate — a partner
  7. hand — in cards
  8. press — to push
  9. face — to confront
  10. mate — to breed
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. press — a publisher
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. vault — a safe
  16. press — newspapers
  17. toast — bread
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pass — a permit
  20. swing — in golf
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. swing — music
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pass — to succeed

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