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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: sharp · jam · safe · hand · stick · chair · cell · present

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cell — a phone
  4. present — a gift
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. chair — a leader
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. sharp — clever
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. present — there
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. cell — in biology
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. present — the time now
  22. hand — in cards
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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