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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: nail · chest · band · kid · safe · mine · court · bay

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. chest — a box
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. chest — of your body
  6. court — of a king
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. kid — child
  9. band — a music group
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. kid — to tease
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. band — a ring
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. mine — for digging
  24. nail — on a finger

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