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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: date · can · safe · press · rule · clip · wound · roll

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. rule — government
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. press — newspapers
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. clip — a video
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — a list
  11. clip — to cut
  12. date — the fruit
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. wound — an injury
  15. can — a tin
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rule — a law
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. clip — for paper
  20. press — to push
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. can — a tin
  23. press — a publisher
  24. wound — an injury

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