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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — to bear
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. snap — to click
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. staff — employees
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. staff — a stick
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. staff — employees

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