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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. firm — steady
  3. spell — letters
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cell — a phone
  13. firm — decided
  14. spell — a short time
  15. season — in sport
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spell — magic
  18. season — of the year
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. firm — a company
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. safe — a strongbox

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