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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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Word bank
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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: stand · hand · safe · clip · spring · temple · court · rash

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. hand — in cards
  3. clip — to cut
  4. court — of law
  5. rash — a series
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. spring — of water
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. spring — a coil
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. hand — help
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. rash — hasty
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. spring — the season
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. court — for sport
  22. clip — a video
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. stand — to bear

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