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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: fork · press · degree · wind · safe · hide · bay · toast

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. fork — in a road
  4. degree — from a university
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wind — moving air
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. degree — temperature
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. press — newspapers
  19. toast — bread
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wind — moving air

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