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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. tube — a container
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. shower — to wash
  8. press — to push
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mine — for digging
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — rain
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. press — newspapers
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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