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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bulb — for light
  7. game — wild animals
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chair — a leader
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rule — a law
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. game — a match
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rule — government

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