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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: racket · ball · vault · pound · march · wind · rest · press

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. press — to push
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pound — a weight
  11. rest — a break
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. march — the month
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. press — newspapers
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. march — the month
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. press — a publisher
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. march — music
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. vault — a safe

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