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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: game · kick · arm · straw · firm · chair · spell · tube

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. game — a match
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. firm — steady
  6. spell — magic
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. firm — decided
  11. tube — a container
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. tube — the underground
  16. spell — a short time
  17. game — wild animals
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. spell — letters
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. firm — a company
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. chair — a leader

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