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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 120 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: game · safe · ball · band · chair · racket · straw · bay

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. ball — a dance
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. ball — a great time
  6. band — a ring
  7. chair — a leader
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. band — a music group
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. game — wild animals
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. game — a match
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. game — a kind of play

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