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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.

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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: stick · club · spring · safe · staff · race · fine · chair

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. staff — employees
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. staff — a stick
  5. race — a contest
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. race — humankind
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. chair — a leader
  11. club — a group
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. staff — employees
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. race — the arms race
  17. fine — all right
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. fine — high quality
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — for golf
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. spring — a coil

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