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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. rest — what's left
  5. press — to push
  6. rest — what's left
  7. current — electric
  8. press — a publisher
  9. tube — a container
  10. current — of water
  11. march — the month
  12. tube — the underground
  13. field — for sport
  14. press — newspapers
  15. march — music
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. current — happening now
  18. clip — to cut
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — farmland
  21. rest — a break
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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