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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. ball — a dance
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. press — a publisher
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. press — to push
  9. stock — goods
  10. degree — an amount
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. prune — to trim
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. ball — a great time
  16. press — newspapers
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. degree — from a university
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. fine — high quality
  23. stock — shares
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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