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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: chair · chip · degree · ground · safe · board · mine · saw

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. chip — for betting
  7. ground — crushed
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. ground — a position
  10. degree — temperature
  11. ground — the earth
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chip — to eat
  14. board — a committee
  15. degree — from a university
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. mine — for digging
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. saw — the tool
  22. degree — an amount
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mine — an explosive

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