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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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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: kid · degree · straw · board · kick · safe · leaves · press

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. board — a committee
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. kick — in football
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. press — to push
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. kid — to tease
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. board — to get on
  18. degree — an amount
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. press — newspapers
  21. kid — child
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. press — a publisher
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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