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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 120 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 · degree · rule · rash · cue · safe · trunk · mug

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rule — government
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — newspapers
  6. mug — to rob
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rash — hasty
  9. press — to push
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. mug — a cup
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. degree — an amount
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mug — a face
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rash — a series
  20. rule — a law
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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