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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.

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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: spell · track · safe · chest · bulb · pitch · saw · content

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. track — a song
  4. chest — a box
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bulb — for light
  7. spell — magic
  8. chest — of your body
  9. content — happy
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. spell — letters
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. track — to keep track
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. content — the amount
  22. track — a path
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pitch — completely

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