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

Word bank: mine · snap · safe · cell · present · staff · bulb · chair

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. present — a gift
  4. staff — employees
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mine — for digging
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. staff — employees
  9. chair — a leader
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. present — the time now
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. present — there
  17. snap — to click
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bulb — for light
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. staff — a stick
  24. cell — in biology

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