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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 · wind · press · suit · deal · scale · file · fork

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. press — to push
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. vault — a safe
  12. suit — to fit
  13. press — a publisher
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. wind — moving air
  16. suit — in cards
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. press — newspapers
  19. scale — in music
  20. wind — moving air
  21. scale — size or range
  22. file — a tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. scale — for weighing

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