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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: present · press · rock · track · safe · foot · cell · board

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rock — music
  3. present — a gift
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. press — to push
  8. present — there
  9. cell — a phone
  10. present — the time now
  11. board — a committee
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. rock — a stone
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. press — newspapers
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. board — to get on
  24. cell — in biology

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