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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: lean · safe · chip · wound · bat · ruler · object · field

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. field — a subject
  3. lean — thin
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. chip — to eat
  11. object — a thing
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. field — for sport
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. object — an aim
  20. chip — for betting
  21. field — farmland
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. lean — to rest against

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