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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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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: file · press · lean · cap · bat · race · dip · safe

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. lean — to bend
  4. cap — of ice
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. file — a tool
  8. race — the arms race
  9. press — to push
  10. cap — a lid
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. press — a publisher
  15. lean — thin
  16. file — a document
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cap — a hat
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. press — newspapers
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bat — the animal
  24. dip — to sink

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