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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. kid — child
  3. press — to push
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. rest — what's left
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rule — a law
  8. pop — music
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rest — a break
  12. craft — boats
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pop — soda
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. rest — what's left
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rule — government
  23. pop — to visit
  24. press — newspapers

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