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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: mate · stock · roll · pop · patient · bat · safe · press

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. stock — goods
  4. bat — the animal
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mate — a friend
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mate — a partner
  16. press — to push
  17. pop — soda
  18. mate — to breed
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — music
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. roll — a list
  24. safe — out of danger

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