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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: bat · key · leaves · spring · content · snap · present · safe

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. present — there
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bat — the animal
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. key — for a lock
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. key — in music
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. content — happy
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. spring — of water
  17. content — the amount
  18. present — the time now
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. spring — a coil
  22. present — a gift
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. spring — the season

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