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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: mate · root · bat · vault · press · pass · temple · mark

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pass — a permit
  4. mark — a grade
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. press — to push
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. root — the cause
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mate — a friend
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bat — the animal

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