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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. court — of law
  3. shower — rain
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. stock — goods
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. court — of a king
  9. cold — an illness
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. stand — to bear
  13. cold — not warm
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. swing — to play on
  17. court — for sport
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. shower — to wash
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stock — shares

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