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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 · bay · calf · court · file · mate · mine · season

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. season — of the year
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. file — a tool
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. mine — for digging
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. mate — a partner
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. mate — to breed
  17. court — of a king
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. court — of law
  20. mate — a friend
  21. court — for sport
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. season — in sport
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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