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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: game · kid · safe · rule · hide · chair · rock · wind

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. game — a match
  2. kid — child
  3. wind — moving air
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. kid — to tease
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. rule — a law
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rule — government
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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