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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 120 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: bear · arm · cell · bay · ground · pitcher · safe · court

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. cell — a phone
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ground — crushed
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ground — a position
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. court — of a king

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