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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: leaves · cap · safe · bat · court · chair · lie · drill

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. drill — a practice
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. chair — a leader
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. cap — a hat
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. drill — the tool
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cap — a lid
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. drill — army training
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bat — the animal
  19. cap — of ice
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. leaves — lets stay

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