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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 116 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: content · safe · trunk · chip · kid · ground · straw · fall

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. content — the amount
  3. kid — child
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fall — to drop
  11. kid — to tease
  12. ground — a position
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. fall — to drop
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chip — to eat
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. ground — the earth
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. content — happy
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. fall — the season
  24. chip — for betting

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