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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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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: vault · drill · press · date · jam · racket · arm · wound

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. vault — a safe
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wound — an injury
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wound — an injury
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. drill — the tool
  12. press — to push
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. drill — army training
  16. press — a publisher
  17. date — the fruit
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. press — newspapers
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. date — on the calendar

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