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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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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: wound · content · chest · safe · tube · jam · rest · rule

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. tube — a container
  5. rest — what's left
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. tube — the underground
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. content — the amount
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. chest — a box
  17. content — happy
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rule — government
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rule — a law
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rest — what's left

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