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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. stem — to come from
  3. roll — a list
  4. saw — the tool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. saw — the tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. press — a publisher
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. press — to push
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. content — happy
  17. roll — a cake
  18. press — newspapers
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. content — the amount

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