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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: stem · safe · game · net · bore · pitcher · content · firm

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. content — happy
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. firm — decided
  7. game — wild animals
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. net — in sport
  11. firm — a company
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stem — to come from
  14. net — after costs
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. net — for catching
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. firm — steady

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