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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · arm · court · coach · rash · current · clip · wax

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. clip — to cut
  3. current — happening now
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. clip — for paper
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rash — a series
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. current — electric
  13. court — of a king
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. court — of law
  16. current — of water
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. rash — hasty
  21. clip — a video
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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