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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: mate · row · wind · key · bark · pit · safe · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bark — to shout
  5. row — to paddle
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wind — moving air
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. content — happy
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. row — a line
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. key — in music
  23. pit — a hole
  24. mate — a partner

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