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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 · straw · toast · hand · pit · content · foot · mine

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. foot — a measure
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. content — the amount
  11. pit — a hole
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — bread
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mine — for digging
  18. hand — in cards
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. content — happy
  23. pit — in a race
  24. mine — an explosive

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