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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 120 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. content — happy
  12. content — the amount
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. file — a tool
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. file — a document
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. file — a line of people
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. coach — a trainer

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