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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: press · safe · fine · deal · race · scale · sharp · spell

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. scale — size or range
  6. press — to push
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. fine — high quality
  10. deal — to handle
  11. scale — in music
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. press — a publisher
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. race — the arms race
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fine — all right
  19. spell — magic
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. race — humankind
  22. sharp — clever
  23. press — newspapers
  24. race — a contest

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