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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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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 · content · present · chip · chair · cell · pass · kid

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. present — a gift
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pass — a permit
  7. content — the amount
  8. chair — a leader
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. present — there
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. kid — to tease
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. kid — child
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. content — happy
  20. chip — to eat
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. present — the time now
  23. cell — in biology
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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