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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: press · safe · present · toast · fine · court · root · pass

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. present — a gift
  3. court — for sport
  4. root — of a plant
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. root — of a word
  7. toast — bread
  8. fine — high quality
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. court — of law
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. press — newspapers
  18. court — of a king
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fine — all right
  23. pass — a permit
  24. root — the cause

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