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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: court · track · safe · deal · degree · lie · foot · tear

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. track — a path
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. court — of a king
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. court — for sport
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. degree — temperature
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. foot — a measure
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. court — of law
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. track — a song
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. track — to keep track
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. tear — from crying
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. lie — an untruth

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