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

Word bank: pass · kid · chair · press · stem · safe

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stem — to come from
  14. press — to push
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. kid — child
  17. chair — to sit on
  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