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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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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 · bank · cell · safe · bowl · season · kick · deal

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. press — to push
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bank — of a river
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bank — for money
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bank — for money
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. press — newspapers
  23. season — of the year
  24. deal — to handle

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