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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bass · safe · current · wound · content · cell · rush · chair

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bass — low music
  12. wound — an injury
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. content — happy
  20. cell — a phone
  21. current — electric
  22. rush — hurry
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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