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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mate — to breed
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. bark — to shout
  5. tube — a container
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. last — finally
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. last — final
  13. mate — a friend
  14. press — newspapers
  15. tube — the underground
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. press — to push
  19. last — to go on
  20. hand — help
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. hand — in cards
  24. straw — a straw man

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