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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 120 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: kick · perch · band · safe · wound · pitcher · content · chip

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. kick — in football
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. wound — an injury
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wound — an injury
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. band — a ring
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. chip — for betting
  23. band — a music group
  24. chip — to eat

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