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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: content · safe · arm · kick · band · chest · fine · net

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. fine — high quality
  7. band — a ring
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fine — all right
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. net — for catching
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. content — the amount
  18. band — a music group
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. content — happy
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. kick — in football
  24. arm — part of the body

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