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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: last · chair · net · bark · mark · press · safe · present

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. present — there
  4. last — to go on
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. present — a gift
  7. press — newspapers
  8. present — the time now
  9. net — after costs
  10. chair — a leader
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. mark — a grade
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. last — finally
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. last — final
  24. bark — to shout

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