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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rush — hurry
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. ground — a position
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pass — a permit
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. court — of law
  15. staff — employees
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. ground — crushed
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. ground — the earth
  22. staff — employees
  23. court — for sport
  24. rush — to hurry

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