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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: chair · rush · safe · object · wound · content · ball · file

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. file — a document
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. file — a line of people
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wound — an injury
  12. file — a tool
  13. content — happy
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. content — the amount
  19. object — a thing
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wound — an injury
  22. object — an aim
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. object — to protest

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