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

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — a cake
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. charge — a price
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rash — hasty
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. rash — a series
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. game — wild animals
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. chair — a leader
  17. spring — of water
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. foot — a measure
  20. charge — in control
  21. charge — electricity
  22. spring — the season
  23. game — a match
  24. roll — on a roll

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