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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: present · file · row · last · press · degree · safe · perch

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. press — a publisher
  3. file — a document
  4. press — to push
  5. present — a gift
  6. degree — from a university
  7. present — there
  8. degree — an amount
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. file — a line of people
  11. present — the time now
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. degree — temperature
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. file — a tool
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. perch — the fish
  24. press — newspapers

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