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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. press — a publisher
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. key — for a lock
  13. season — of the year
  14. key — the most important part
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. season — in sport
  19. mark — a grade
  20. key — in music
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bat — for baseball

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