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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: ball · club · safe · track · cell · cap · object · court

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. cap — a hat
  3. club — for golf
  4. object — a thing
  5. court — for sport
  6. track — a path
  7. club — for dancing
  8. track — to keep track
  9. object — to protest
  10. court — of a king
  11. object — an aim
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. club — a group
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. court — of law
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. ball — a dance
  22. track — a song
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cap — of ice

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