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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. court — for sport
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. drill — a practice
  5. court — of law
  6. tear — to rip
  7. board — a committee
  8. court — of a king
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. tube — a container
  11. drill — the tool
  12. season — in sport
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. board — to get on
  16. season — of the year
  17. drill — army training
  18. pit — a hole
  19. tube — the underground
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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