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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: bass · tear · mate · file · safe · press · cue · stick

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cue — a signal
  5. press — a publisher
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cue — for pool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mate — a friend
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. press — to push
  15. cue — a hint
  16. file — a tool
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. file — a document
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bass — low music
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. tear — to rip

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