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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 · stock · hide · press · cold · rule · chest

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chest — a box
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. stock — shares
  6. chest — of your body
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stock — goods
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. press — to push
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cold — not warm
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. press — newspapers
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rule — government
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rule — a law
  22. cold — an illness
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. rule — to rule out

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