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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 120 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. key — for a lock
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. shower — to wash
  10. squash — the sport
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. press — a publisher
  13. squash — to crush
  14. key — the most important part
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. press — newspapers
  18. key — in music
  19. press — to push
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. rash — a series

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