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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · file · clip · press · lie · capital · mark · vault

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a trace
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. press — to push
  6. clip — to cut
  7. press — a publisher
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. capital — money
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. mark — a grade
  14. file — a document
  15. lie — to recline
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. file — a tool
  18. capital — a city
  19. press — newspapers
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. file — a line of people
  24. season — of the year

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