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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 120 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. press — a publisher
  3. clip — a video
  4. mate — a partner
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mate — to breed
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cap — a hat
  13. press — to push
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. press — newspapers
  17. cap — of ice
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. cue — a hint
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cue — for pool
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. hide — animal skin

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