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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: chip · staff · roll · wound · bat · safe · last · date

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wound — an injury
  6. date — the fruit
  7. last — final
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wound — an injury
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. last — to go on
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bat — the animal
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. staff — employees
  20. roll — a cake
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. last — finally

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