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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.

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 · racket · chair · key · can · date · lean · safe

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. lean — thin
  5. press — to push
  6. press — newspapers
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. can — to be able to
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. lean — to bend
  12. can — a tin
  13. date — the fruit
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. key — in music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. key — the most important part
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. chair — a leader
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. press — a publisher
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. key — for a lock

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