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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. last — finally
  3. wind — moving air
  4. squash — to crush
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mug — a face
  12. press — a publisher
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. squash — the sport
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wind — moving air
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a cup
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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