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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: band · key · lean · rash · mug · content · safe · bat

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. key — for a lock
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. key — in music
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rash — a series
  10. content — happy
  11. key — the most important part
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mug — to rob
  17. lean — thin
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. mug — a face
  21. content — the amount
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. lean — to bend

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