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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: pit · saw · roll · kick · press · vault · chest · net

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. pit — a hole
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pit — in a race
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. saw — the tool
  6. net — in sport
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. chest — a box
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. kick — in football
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. press — to push
  14. net — after costs
  15. roll — a cake
  16. saw — the tool
  17. vault — a safe
  18. net — for catching
  19. roll — a list
  20. press — newspapers
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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