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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: safe · bulb · press · pit · kid · rock · saw · mate

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mate — a friend
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. press — to push
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. press — newspapers
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. press — a publisher
  15. kid — child
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pit — a hole
  18. mate — a partner
  19. saw — the tool
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bulb — for light
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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