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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: stick · fall · sharp · bound · cell · bowl · press · vault

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. sharp — clever
  3. press — to push
  4. bound — tied together
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cell — in biology
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fall — to drop
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bound — obliged
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bound — certain
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. cell — a phone

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