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

Word bank: chair · cabinet · safe · bear · dip · cell

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cell — a phone
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cell — in biology
  16. chair — a leader
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. dip — to sink

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