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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: chip · safe · wave · date · kid · drill · object · march

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. date — the fruit
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. drill — the tool
  7. march — the month
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. march — the month
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chip — to eat
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. drill — army training
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. object — a thing
  17. chip — for betting
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. object — to protest
  21. march — music
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. object — an aim

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