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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: saw · can · hand · chip · safe · foot · ground · last

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. last — finally
  5. foot — a measure
  6. hand — help
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. saw — the tool
  10. hand — in cards
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chip — for betting
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. can — a tin
  15. ground — the earth
  16. can — a tin
  17. ground — crushed
  18. last — final
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. last — to go on
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ground — a position
  24. foot — the bottom

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