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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 · last · game · bulb · ground · kick · cabinet · rash

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. last — to go on
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. rash — hasty
  6. kick — in football
  7. ground — crushed
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. ground — a position
  10. chair — a leader
  11. game — a match
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. last — final
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. last — finally
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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