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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 · temple · mine · rock · race · perch · season

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rock — music
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. season — of the year
  9. mine — for digging
  10. race — a contest
  11. press — newspapers
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. race — humankind
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. press — a publisher
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. season — in sport
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rock — a stone
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. press — to push
  24. perch — the fish

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