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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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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: cold · bound · press · roll · lie · safe · kid · deal

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. press — a publisher
  3. cold — an illness
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. roll — a cake
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. deal — to handle
  12. kid — to tease
  13. press — newspapers
  14. roll — a list
  15. press — to push
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bound — obliged
  21. cold — not warm
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. kid — child
  24. cold — the Cold War

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