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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: pass · lash · vault · bat · bark · cold · press · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cold — not warm
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. press — newspapers
  5. march — the month
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. march — music
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bark — to shout
  18. press — to push
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pass — a permit
  24. press — a publisher

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