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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: safe · date · wound · press · perch · drill · ball · vault

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. vault — a safe
  3. press — a publisher
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. drill — a practice
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wound — an injury
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. date — the fruit
  12. ball — a dance
  13. press — to push
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. drill — the tool
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. perch — the fish
  23. press — newspapers
  24. drill — army training

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