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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: ruler · press · cold · safe · chest · file · mark · ball

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mark — a trace
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. press — a publisher
  6. file — a line of people
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cold — an illness
  11. chest — a box
  12. file — a document
  13. press — newspapers
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. cold — not warm
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. ball — a great time
  20. file — a tool
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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