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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · game · stick · face · bass · safe · file · land

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. file — a line of people
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. game — a match
  5. bass — low music
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bass — the fish
  8. file — a tool
  9. land — a country
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. land — to come down
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. face — part of the head
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. face — to confront
  19. file — a document
  20. land — ground
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. game — wild animals
  24. safe — out of danger

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