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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. prune — to trim
  6. hand — help
  7. kid — to tease
  8. cue — a signal
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kid — child
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. prune — to trim
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cue — a hint
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mine — for digging
  24. fan — a supporter

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