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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: date · stock · kid · cell · court · safe · fall · root

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. kid — child
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cell — a phone
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. root — of a plant
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stock — goods
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. stock — shares
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cell — in biology
  15. date — the fruit
  16. court — of law
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fall — the season
  19. root — the cause
  20. fall — to drop
  21. root — of a word
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. safe — a strongbox

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