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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: file · court · pitcher · present · pass · cell · scale · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. file — a tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — a gift
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pass — a permit
  12. file — a line of people
  13. court — for sport
  14. cell — a phone
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. present — there
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — in music
  20. cell — in biology
  21. court — of a king
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. court — of law
  24. file — a document

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