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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: safe · press · rash · clip · date · kick · charge · degree

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. charge — electricity
  3. degree — from a university
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. clip — to cut
  12. charge — in control
  13. rash — a series
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rash — hasty
  18. press — newspapers
  19. charge — a price
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. degree — temperature
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. press — to push

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