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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. court — for sport
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. key — the most important part
  6. rash — hasty
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rash — a series
  9. key — in music
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. key — for a lock
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. court — of a king
  15. rest — a break
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. court — of law
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rest — what's left
  23. land — to come down
  24. coach — a trainer

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