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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: nail · safe · shower · content · cell · kick · coach · fan

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. kick — in football
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. shower — rain
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cell — in biology
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — to wash
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. content — the amount
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. cell — a phone
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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