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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: pit · court · safe · mine · present · leaves · tear · club

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. present — a gift
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mine — for digging
  10. club — a group
  11. present — there
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. club — for golf
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a hole
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. present — the time now
  24. safe — out of danger

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