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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. court — for sport
  3. swing — music
  4. bat — the animal
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. court — of law
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bank — of a river
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — rain
  15. court — of a king
  16. swing — in golf
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bat — in an idiom

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