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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: scale · stock · roll · safe · chest · spell · content · swing

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. spell — a short time
  4. swing — music
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stock — shares
  9. content — the amount
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. swing — in golf
  12. roll — a list
  13. swing — to play on
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stock — goods
  16. content — happy
  17. scale — in music
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. chest — of your body
  21. spell — letters
  22. chest — a box
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. spell — magic

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