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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · saw · ball · cue · clip · straw · chip · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. saw — the tool
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cue — for pool
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cue — a hint
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mine — for digging
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. cue — a signal
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. chip — for betting
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ball — a dance
  24. clip — a video

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