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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: press · suit · net · squash · vault · tear · bore · chest

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bore — to drill
  7. chest — of your body
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. chest — a box
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. tear — from crying
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. squash — to crush
  15. suit — in cards
  16. press — a publisher
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. press — to push
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. net — for catching
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bore — to tire
  24. press — newspapers

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