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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. game — a match
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. game — wild animals
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. chair — a leader
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. key — for a lock
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. key — the most important part
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. key — in music
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. chair — to sit on

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