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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: kick · mine · club · safe · chair · game · wave · straw

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. club — for golf
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. kick — in football
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. club — for dancing
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. club — a group
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. chair — a leader
  22. mine — for digging
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. game — wild animals

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