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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: safe · wind · cabinet · chair · file · content · rash · game

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. content — happy
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. content — the amount
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. rash — hasty
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. game — a match
  18. file — a line of people
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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