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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 116 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: court · drill · ball · rash · hand · safe · deal · chip

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. drill — the tool
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rash — hasty
  6. court — of law
  7. ball — a great time
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rash — a series
  10. court — for sport
  11. chip — to eat
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. drill — army training
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. court — of a king
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. deal — to handle
  23. drill — a practice
  24. deal — an agreement

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