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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: fork · wound · court · bat · safe · season · lie · deal

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wound — an injury
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. court — of law
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. deal — to handle
  9. court — of a king
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. court — for sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. fork — in a road
  19. lie — to recline
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. season — in sport
  24. bat — the animal

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