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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 116 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 · suit · lean · capital · vault · safe · last · bay

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. last — to go on
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — clothes
  6. capital — money
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. last — final
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. vault — a safe
  12. press — newspapers
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. lean — to bend
  15. press — a publisher
  16. capital — a city
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. lean — thin
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. last — finally
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. suit — in cards

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