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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 116 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: row · bat · spell · cabinet · saw · press · cell · safe

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cell — in biology
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. press — newspapers
  7. row — a line
  8. spell — magic
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. spell — letters
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. press — a publisher
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cell — a phone
  18. press — to push
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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