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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. staff — employees
  3. pop — music
  4. staff — a stick
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. press — a publisher
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pop — soda
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cap — of ice
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. staff — employees
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. cap — a lid
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. press — newspapers
  19. spring — a coil
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. press — to push
  22. cap — a hat
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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