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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. band — a music group
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. press — to push
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. band — a ring
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. rush — hurry
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. land — to come down
  17. net — in sport
  18. land — ground
  19. object — an aim
  20. press — newspapers
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. land — a country
  24. dip — to sink

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