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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: game · safe · dip · spell · net · field · foot · content

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. net — for catching
  3. spell — letters
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. game — wild animals
  6. net — after costs
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. spell — magic
  12. field — for sport
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. game — a match
  18. spell — a short time
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. content — the amount
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. net — in sport
  24. foot — a measure

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