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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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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: staff · mug · vault · straw · press · stick · cap · rule

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cap — a lid
  5. mug — a cup
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rule — government
  8. press — to push
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — to rob
  12. staff — a stick
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cap — of ice
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. press — a publisher
  17. vault — a safe
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. rule — a law
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rule — to rule out

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