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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 · rock · mine · key · season · degree · safe · suit

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. suit — to fit
  3. degree — from a university
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. press — to push
  6. degree — temperature
  7. rock — a stone
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. key — the most important part
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. press — newspapers
  13. mine — for digging
  14. key — in music
  15. season — of the year
  16. key — for a lock
  17. suit — in cards
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. suit — clothes
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. degree — an amount
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. season — in sport

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