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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: branch · foot · press · last · face · race · pitcher · vault

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. last — finally
  4. race — humankind
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. press — a publisher
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. last — final
  10. press — newspapers
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. face — to point toward
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. last — to go on
  18. race — the arms race
  19. vault — a safe
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. press — to push
  22. branch — a division
  23. foot — a measure
  24. race — a contest

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