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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. board — a committee
  4. bank — of a river
  5. court — for sport
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a dance
  8. land — ground
  9. bank — for money
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. board — to get on
  12. ball — a great time
  13. land — a country
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. court — of a king
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. land — to come down
  24. bank — for money

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