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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.

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: current · safe · pit · content · chest · spell · roll · straw

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. content — the amount
  5. chest — of your body
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. chest — a box
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. chest — of your body
  11. current — happening now
  12. content — happy
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. spell — magic
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. roll — a cake
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. pit — a hole

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