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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 · foot · court · fan · trunk · game · ground · net

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. net — for catching
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. court — of law
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. net — in sport
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. net — after costs
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. game — a match
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. foot — a measure
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. ground — a position

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