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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: bat · spell · press · pound · band · cold · net · safe

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bat — the animal
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. band — a ring
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. spell — letters
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. press — to push
  20. pound — a weight
  21. band — a music group
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cold — an illness
  24. net — for catching

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