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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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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: safe · wound · chip · sharp · fall · chest · clip · stand

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. chip — to eat
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fall — to drop
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. fall — the season
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chest — of your body
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. clip — a video
  24. safe — out of danger

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