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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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 a king
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. row — a line
  5. bore — to drill
  6. band — a music group
  7. wound — an injury
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bore — to tire
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wound — an injury
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. row — to paddle
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. court — of law
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. band — a ring
  20. court — for sport
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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