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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: safe · wind · field · charge · temple · content · lie · chair

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. content — happy
  3. charge — in control
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. field — farmland
  10. chair — a leader
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. field — for sport
  13. lie — to recline
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. charge — electricity
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. charge — a price
  21. content — the amount
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. field — a subject
  24. wind — moving air

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