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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. content — happy
  5. press — a publisher
  6. content — the amount
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. root — the cause
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. press — to push
  12. chest — of your body
  13. capital — a city
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. chest — a box
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. press — newspapers
  21. chest — of your body
  22. capital — money
  23. root — of a word
  24. racket — for tennis

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