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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: safe · court · tube · track · scale · drill · kick · rush

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. track — to keep track
  4. drill — a practice
  5. tube — the underground
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rush — hurry
  8. drill — army training
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. court — for sport
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. track — a path
  18. track — a song
  19. court — of a king
  20. drill — the tool
  21. scale — in music
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. kick — in football
  24. court — of law

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