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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 · saw · deal · clip · hand · spell · firm

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spell — letters
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — a video
  6. deal — to handle
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. spell — magic
  11. saw — the tool
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. content — the amount
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. clip — for paper
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — a company
  20. content — happy
  21. spell — a short time
  22. hand — help
  23. firm — decided
  24. hand — in cards

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