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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 120 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. file — a tool
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. file — a line of people
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. file — a document
  13. wound — an injury
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pit — a hole
  16. spring — a coil
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. press — to push
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. press — a publisher
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  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