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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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Word bank
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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 · cold · straw · safe · fine · chip · bound · last

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. last — finally
  3. cold — an illness
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. chip — to eat
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bound — certain
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fine — all right
  14. last — to go on
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. last — final
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cold — the Cold War

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