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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: calf · content · chest · row · safe · vault · foot · cabinet

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. vault — a safe
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. content — the amount
  10. row — a line
  11. chest — a box
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. row — to paddle
  21. chest — of your body
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. foot — a measure

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