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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.

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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: chest · drill · chair · wake · hide · safe · saw · chip

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. chest — a box
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wake — a trail
  7. drill — the tool
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chair — a leader
  24. safe — a strongbox

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