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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: safe · scale · press · swing · foot · court · land · roll

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. land — a country
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. press — newspapers
  5. court — for sport
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. swing — to play on
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. scale — size or range
  11. foot — a measure
  12. scale — in music
  13. land — to come down
  14. swing — music
  15. court — of law
  16. land — ground
  17. roll — a list
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. press — to push
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. press — a publisher
  22. court — of a king
  23. swing — in golf
  24. roll — a cake

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