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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: press · stand · fall · kick · temple · mate · vault · bat

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. stand — to bear
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. fall — the season
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. press — a publisher
  13. vault — a safe
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kick — in football
  16. bat — the animal
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — to breed
  21. fall — to drop
  22. press — newspapers
  23. fall — to drop
  24. temple — side of the head

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