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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.

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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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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: fall · foot · stock · cell · bowl · press · safe · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. press — a publisher
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. fall — to drop
  6. foot — a measure
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. last — finally
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fall — to drop
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. cell — in biology
  15. last — final
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. press — to push
  24. fall — the season

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