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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 · spring · nail · track · court · hand · craft · foot

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. track — to keep track
  7. spring — a coil
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. craft — boats
  10. track — a path
  11. spring — of water
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. court — of a king
  19. foot — a measure
  20. court — for sport
  21. craft — a skill
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. track — a song
  24. spring — the season

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