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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: safe · clip · rule · chair · court · bank

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bank — for money
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. clip — for paper
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. court — for sport
  12. rule — government
  13. court — of law
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rule — a law
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. clip — a video
  18. safe — a strongbox

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