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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: drill · clip · safe · chair · chip · wound · racket · jam

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chip — for betting
  4. drill — a practice
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. drill — the tool
  19. chip — to eat
  20. drill — army training
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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