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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: rash · safe · content · pitcher · fine · stock · fork · chest

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stock — goods
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. content — happy
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. content — the amount
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fork — in a road
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. stock — shares
  22. rash — a series
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. chest — a box

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