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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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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: wake · bulb · bat · game · safe · chair · cabinet · nail

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wake — a trail
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bulb — for light

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