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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
468
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: spell · cue · straw · chair · firm · wound · mine · safe

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — for pool
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mine — for digging
  8. spell — magic
  9. firm — decided
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. firm — steady
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. firm — a company
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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