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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: chair · club · content · rash · foot · bat · safe · craft

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. craft — a skill
  5. chair — a leader
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. craft — boats
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rash — a series
  14. content — the amount
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. club — a group
  19. rash — hasty
  20. club — for golf
  21. bat — the animal
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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