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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: press · race · mug · wind · vault · rest · content · trunk

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wind — moving air
  4. press — a publisher
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wind — moving air
  9. content — happy
  10. race — a contest
  11. vault — a safe
  12. rest — what's left
  13. content — the amount
  14. race — humankind
  15. press — newspapers
  16. race — the arms race
  17. rest — a break
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. press — to push
  24. rest — what's left

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