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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: craft · chip · mine · safe · present · clip · nail · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. chip — to eat
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. craft — boats
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. clip — a video
  7. craft — a skill
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. present — there
  16. chip — for betting
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. present — the time now
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. ball — a dance
  23. present — a gift
  24. mine — belonging to me

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