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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 116 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: pit · staff · bear · press · safe · row · wind · bay

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wind — moving air
  5. press — newspapers
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. staff — employees
  12. press — to push
  13. row — a line
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. staff — employees
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bear — the animal
  24. safe — a strongbox

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