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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: content · cell · last · march · safe · spell · dip · straw

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. dip — to sink
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. march — the month
  5. content — the amount
  6. march — music
  7. last — final
  8. spell — magic
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. last — to go on
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. march — the month
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. last — finally
  22. cell — a phone
  23. spell — letters
  24. content — happy

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