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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 120 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. kick — in football
  3. bore — to drill
  4. court — of law
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. band — a music group
  8. root — the cause
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a line of people
  13. root — of a plant
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. root — of a word
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. hand — in cards
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. band — a ring
  20. court — of a king
  21. file — a tool
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. hand — help

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