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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.

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: safe · clip · arm · chest · press · spring · cabinet · sharp

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. clip — to cut
  5. chest — of your body
  6. clip — a video
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. spring — of water
  9. press — a publisher
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. sharp — clever
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. press — newspapers
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. clip — for paper
  24. press — to push

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