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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. squash — to crush
  3. present — there
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. scale — in music
  7. club — a group
  8. press — newspapers
  9. squash — the sport
  10. file — a document
  11. scale — size or range
  12. press — a publisher
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mine — for digging
  16. present — the time now
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. press — to push
  20. file — a tool
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — for dancing
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. present — a gift

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