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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: rush · safe · toast · plane · pop · press · mine · capital

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rush — hurry
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mine — for digging
  7. press — a publisher
  8. toast — bread
  9. capital — a city
  10. press — to push
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pop — music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. capital — money
  17. press — newspapers
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mine — belonging to me

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