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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: degree · content · face · chest · current · clip · perch · safe

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. degree — temperature
  4. current — happening now
  5. clip — for paper
  6. face — part of the head
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. current — of water
  9. clip — a video
  10. current — electric
  11. clip — to cut
  12. degree — an amount
  13. chest — a box
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. perch — the fish
  18. degree — from a university
  19. face — to point toward
  20. content — happy
  21. chest — of your body
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. face — to confront
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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