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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. fall — the season
  4. court — of a king
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fall — to drop
  7. court — for sport
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rest — what's left
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rest — a break
  19. tear — from crying
  20. content — the amount
  21. rest — what's left
  22. content — happy
  23. court — of law
  24. arm — part of the body

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