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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 · rock · press · season · chair · cell · ball · cue

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cue — for pool
  4. season — in sport
  5. cue — a hint
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. press — to push
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cell — a phone
  19. ball — a dance
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. season — of the year

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