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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. press — a publisher
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mate — to breed
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. press — to push
  11. content — the amount
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. content — happy
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. land — a country
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. land — to come down
  18. mate — a friend
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mate — a partner
  22. land — ground
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. safe — a strongbox

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