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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: board · roll · safe · court · kid · tear · fall · sharp

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. roll — a list
  4. board — a committee
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. tear — to rip
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. roll — a cake
  14. fall — the season
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. tear — from crying
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. court — for sport
  22. sharp — clever
  23. kid — to tease
  24. safe — out of danger

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