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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. field — for sport
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. field — farmland
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. staff — employees
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cold — not warm
  15. field — a subject
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. press — a publisher
  18. roll — a list
  19. cold — an illness
  20. press — newspapers
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. press — to push
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rush — hurry

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