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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: staff · safe · court · hand · current · pass · content · bowl

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. current — of water
  3. hand — help
  4. court — for sport
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. staff — employees
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. court — of law
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. hand — in cards
  15. current — electric
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. current — happening now
  18. content — happy
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. pass — a permit
  22. staff — employees
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. content — the amount

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