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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: hand · fan · safe · chair · content · prune · face · chest

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. prune — to trim
  4. face — to point toward
  5. chest — of your body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. prune — to trim
  10. hand — help
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. chair — a leader
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. face — to confront
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. content — the amount
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chest — a box
  21. content — happy
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fan — a supporter

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