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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 · wind · cue · fork · roll · chip · content · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. chip — for betting
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. content — happy
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cue — for pool
  17. roll — a cake
  18. cue — a hint
  19. roll — a list
  20. chip — to eat
  21. cue — a signal
  22. content — the amount
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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