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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 · net · hand · calf · safe · wind · spell · ground

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. ground — crushed
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. net — after costs
  9. ground — the earth
  10. net — for catching
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. net — in sport
  13. ground — a position
  14. chip — for betting
  15. hand — help
  16. spell — letters
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. spell — magic
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spell — a short time
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. chip — to eat
  24. hand — in cards

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