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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. clip — for paper
  4. key — the most important part
  5. press — to push
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. present — the time now
  8. stand — to bear
  9. press — a publisher
  10. key — for a lock
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. clip — a video
  13. key — in music
  14. stock — shares
  15. drill — the tool
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. drill — army training
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — there
  22. clip — to cut
  23. press — newspapers
  24. stock — goods

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