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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: safe · coach · content · racket · cell · net · bore · last

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. net — in sport
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. net — after costs
  5. last — final
  6. bore — to tire
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cell — a phone
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. net — for catching
  11. last — to go on
  12. content — happy
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. last — finally
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bore — to drill
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bore — gave birth

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