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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 116 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: safe · pop · wound · chip · content · chair · straw · wave

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pop — to visit
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wound — an injury
  5. content — happy
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. content — the amount
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wound — an injury
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pop — soda
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pop — music
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. chip — to eat
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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