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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.

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: safe · press · season · kick · content · foot · cold · spell

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. season — in sport
  5. press — newspapers
  6. spell — letters
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. press — to push
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. spell — a short time
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. foot — a measure
  15. content — the amount
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. press — a publisher
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. content — happy
  21. spell — magic
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — not warm

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