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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: press · degree · sharp · foot · safe · staff · leaves · craft

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. press — a publisher
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. press — to push
  12. staff — employees
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. foot — a measure
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. staff — a stick
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. degree — an amount
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. craft — a skill
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. press — newspapers
  24. staff — employees

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