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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rule · season · hide · press · clip · degree · mine · safe

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. press — newspapers
  4. rule — a law
  5. degree — temperature
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. mine — for digging
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. clip — to cut
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. degree — an amount
  15. season — of the year
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. press — to push
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. degree — from a university
  22. press — a publisher
  23. season — in sport
  24. clip — a video

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