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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.

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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: content · wind · safe · mine · press · perch · scale · firm

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. scale — size or range
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wind — moving air
  5. firm — decided
  6. scale — in music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. firm — steady
  9. perch — the fish
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. firm — a company
  14. press — newspapers
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. mine — for digging
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. scale — for weighing

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