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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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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: last · vault · snap · press · object · clip · pop · cap

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. pop — music
  4. last — final
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. clip — for paper
  9. press — a publisher
  10. clip — a video
  11. press — newspapers
  12. object — an aim
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. object — a thing
  15. last — finally
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. object — to protest
  18. pop — soda
  19. snap — to click
  20. cap — a hat
  21. clip — to cut
  22. last — to go on
  23. pop — to visit
  24. press — to push

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