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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. content — happy
  3. cell — a phone
  4. last — final
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. chest — of your body
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. last — finally
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. chest — a box
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rock — music
  15. snap — to click
  16. content — the amount
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. last — to go on
  24. safe — a strongbox

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