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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · press · squash · chair · mate · safe

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. press — newspapers
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mate — a partner
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rule — government
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — to push
  14. squash — the sport
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. rule — a law
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mate — to breed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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