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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: field · chip · nail · press · content · rock · safe · chair

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chair — a leader
  3. field — a subject
  4. chip — to eat
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. rock — music
  8. content — happy
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. field — for sport
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. content — the amount
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. press — newspapers
  15. chip — for betting
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. press — a publisher
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rock — a stone
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. field — farmland
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. press — to push

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