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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bulb — for light
  3. last — to go on
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. last — final
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. row — a line
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. last — finally
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. file — a tool
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. row — to paddle
  22. file — a document
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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