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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · date · press · file · chair · safe · dip · firm

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. firm — steady
  5. dip — to sink
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. file — a document
  8. press — to push
  9. net — in sport
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. firm — decided
  12. press — newspapers
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. net — for catching
  15. firm — a company
  16. press — a publisher
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. safe — out of danger

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