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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. safe — out of danger
  3. drill — a practice
  4. spring — the season
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cap — a hat
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. spring — of water
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. drill — army training
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. cap — a lid
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. game — wild animals
  21. drill — the tool
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cap — of ice
  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