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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.

Make a worksheet

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: chair · safe · mine · suit · press · wind

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. chair — a leader
  11. press — newspapers
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. suit — clothes
  14. press — to push
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. wind — moving air
  18. suit — in cards

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