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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 116 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: chair · bowl · clip · safe · chip · calf · bark · object

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — to protest
  7. chair — a leader
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. clip — a video
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. clip — to cut
  21. object — a thing
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. chip — in a computer
  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