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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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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 · club · snap · fork · safe · file · squash · tube

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. club — a group
  2. press — to push
  3. club — for golf
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. press — a publisher
  7. squash — the sport
  8. press — newspapers
  9. file — a tool
  10. snap — to click
  11. club — for dancing
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. file — a document
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. squash — to crush
  16. fork — in a road
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. file — a line of people
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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