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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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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: arm · present · court · safe · lean · firm · field · cell

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. firm — steady
  3. cell — a phone
  4. court — of a king
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. court — of law
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. lean — to bend
  9. court — for sport
  10. firm — a company
  11. cell — in biology
  12. field — for sport
  13. firm — decided
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. present — the time now
  16. field — farmland
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. field — a subject
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. present — there
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. lean — thin

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