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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: deal · straw · game · tube · saw · chair · cap · safe

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. tube — the underground
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. game — a match
  10. saw — the tool
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. chair — a leader
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. deal — to handle
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. tube — a container

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