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

Word bank: bay · chair · press · lean · safe · degree

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. press — to push
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. lean — thin
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a leader
  12. degree — temperature
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. lean — to bend
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. degree — an amount
  18. press — a publisher

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