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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: vault · present · press · track · nail · bat · tube · march

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. vault — a safe
  5. march — the month
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. track — a song
  9. tube — a container
  10. march — music
  11. tube — the underground
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. press — to push
  17. present — a gift
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. march — the month
  20. present — there
  21. track — a path
  22. bat — the animal
  23. present — the time now
  24. track — to keep track

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