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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
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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: rush · court · season · bore · fan · fine · clip · safe

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. court — of a king
  4. season — in sport
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. fine — high quality
  8. clip — to cut
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — a video
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fine — all right
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bore — to drill
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bore — to tire
  22. season — of the year
  23. rush — hurry
  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