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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: field · sharp · game · tube · press · clip · mug · vault

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. tube — the underground
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mug — a face
  5. press — to push
  6. sharp — clever
  7. clip — a video
  8. press — a publisher
  9. vault — a safe
  10. tube — a container
  11. field — for sport
  12. mug — a cup
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mug — to rob
  15. game — wild animals
  16. clip — to cut
  17. field — a subject
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. game — a match
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. field — farmland
  24. press — newspapers

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