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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: court · net · safe · jam · bowl · object

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. object — to protest
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. court — of a king
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. object — an aim
  10. court — of law
  11. net — in sport
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. net — after costs
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. object — a thing

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