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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cap · vault · bass · face · court · net · press · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cap — a lid
  4. net — for catching
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. press — a publisher
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cap — a hat
  16. net — after costs
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. court — of a king
  20. bass — low music
  21. net — in sport
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. face — to confront

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