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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · fine · chest · wake · safe · content · shower · field

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. chest — of your body
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wake — a trail
  7. field — a subject
  8. shower — to wash
  9. fine — all right
  10. shower — rain
  11. chest — a box
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. object — an aim
  15. content — the amount
  16. field — farmland
  17. chest — of your body
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. field — for sport
  21. object — a thing
  22. content — happy
  23. object — to protest
  24. fine — a penalty

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