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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 116 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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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. safe — out of danger
  4. court — for sport
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spring — of water
  10. fall — to drop
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. wake — a trail
  13. band — a ring
  14. lean — thin
  15. band — a music group
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. spring — the season
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. court — of a king
  22. spring — a coil
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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