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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.

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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: land · chest · safe · bound · cue · ground · chip · pop

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. land — ground
  3. chest — a box
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bound — certain
  9. chest — of your body
  10. ground — crushed
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pop — to visit
  14. ground — a position
  15. pop — soda
  16. bound — tied together
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. land — a country
  20. bound — obliged
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pop — music
  23. chip — for betting
  24. land — to come down

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