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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: safe · bay · chair · fall · straw · mine · cue · mark

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cue — a signal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. chair — a leader
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cue — a hint
  14. mark — a trace
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mark — a grade
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. fall — the season
  21. cue — for pool
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. chair — to sit on

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