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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: straw · cabinet · press · rush · ruler · file · object · vault

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — to push
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. file — a tool
  13. press — a publisher
  14. object — an aim
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. object — to protest
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. object — a thing
  23. vault — a safe
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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