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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: hand · object · content · press · row · spell · kid · vault

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. kid — to tease
  3. content — the amount
  4. press — a publisher
  5. kid — child
  6. hand — in cards
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. press — to push
  9. vault — a safe
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. object — an aim
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. press — newspapers
  15. hand — help
  16. object — a thing
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. object — to protest
  19. content — happy
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. row — a line

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