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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · coach · safe · press · pound · rule · pitcher · clip

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. press — newspapers
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rule — a law
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. clip — a video
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — a weight
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. press — a publisher
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. press — to push
  23. rule — government
  24. safe — out of danger

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