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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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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: press · key · safe · sharp · field · chair · wave · rush

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. field — a subject
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. chair — a leader
  11. key — for a lock
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rush — hurry
  14. key — in music
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. press — to push
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. field — for sport
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wave — with your hand

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