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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · field · court · kid · staff · temple · safe · can

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. can — a tin
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. net — in sport
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. can — a tin
  8. staff — employees
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. kid — child
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — for catching
  14. kid — to tease
  15. staff — a stick
  16. field — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. staff — employees
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. can — to be able to

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