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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · field · wound · mine · safe · racket · march · calf

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — the amount
  7. mine — for digging
  8. march — music
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. field — for sport
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wound — an injury
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. field — a subject
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wound — an injury
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. march — the month
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. march — the month
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. field — farmland
  24. mine — belonging to me

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