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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 · rush · wind · nail · drill · content · chest · last

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. chest — a box
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. content — happy
  5. content — the amount
  6. drill — the tool
  7. last — finally
  8. rush — hurry
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. drill — a practice
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. last — final
  23. drill — army training
  24. last — to go on

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