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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 116 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. press — to push
  3. court — of a king
  4. staff — employees
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. staff — a stick
  8. last — to go on
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. press — a publisher
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stock — goods
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stock — shares
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. last — final
  18. court — of law
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. last — finally
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. staff — employees
  23. stem — to come from
  24. court — for 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