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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 124 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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. press — to push
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. chip — for betting
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. degree — temperature
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mine — for digging
  14. perch — the fish
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. chip — to eat
  18. wake — a trail
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. press — newspapers
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. press — a publisher

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