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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. season — of the year
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. court — for sport
  8. season — in sport
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. shower — rain
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. shower — to wash
  13. roll — a list
  14. present — there
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. court — of law
  18. wake — a trail
  19. present — the time now
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. press — newspapers
  22. court — of a king
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. roll — a cake

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