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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. last — final
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. season — in sport
  11. press — newspapers
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. last — to go on
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — to handle
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. last — finally
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. season — of the year

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