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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. pop — soda
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. press — to push
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. staff — a stick
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pop — to visit
  9. roll — a list
  10. press — newspapers
  11. staff — employees
  12. drill — army training
  13. pop — music
  14. roll — a cake
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. saw — the tool
  17. press — a publisher
  18. chest — of your body
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. drill — a practice
  22. chest — a box
  23. saw — the tool
  24. staff — employees

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