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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. row — to paddle
  13. season — of the year
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pitch — completely
  16. press — newspapers
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rock — music
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. season — in sport

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