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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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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: snap · bear · chip · wound · saw · field · safe · pitch

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chip — to eat
  5. field — farmland
  6. wound — an injury
  7. snap — to click
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bear — the animal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. field — a subject
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. field — for sport
  21. saw — the tool
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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