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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: content · chair · face · game · safe · sharp · chest · key

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. content — the amount
  3. key — the most important part
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chair — a leader
  6. key — in music
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. key — for a lock
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. sharp — clever
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. chest — a box
  19. game — a match
  20. chest — of your body
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. content — happy
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. face — to confront

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