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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fine · cabinet · clip · ball · march · safe · file

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. clip — a video
  3. file — a line of people
  4. ball — a dance
  5. march — the month
  6. clip — for paper
  7. file — a tool
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. march — music
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. file — a document
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. court — of law
  16. fine — all right
  17. ball — a great time
  18. clip — to cut
  19. court — of a king
  20. march — the month
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. court — for sport

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