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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: cabinet · game · ruler · safe · sharp · chip · chair · cold

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cold — an illness
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. game — wild animals
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chip — for betting
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cold — not warm
  19. chip — to eat
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chair — a leader
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. game — a match
  24. ruler — for measuring

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