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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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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. court — of law
  3. last — final
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. court — for sport
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. last — to go on
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. court — of a king
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. last — finally

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