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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hand · clip · court · safe · track · cold · face · deal

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. court — of law
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. cold — not warm
  12. face — to confront
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. clip — for paper
  15. face — to point toward
  16. deal — to handle
  17. court — of a king
  18. hand — help
  19. court — for sport
  20. face — part of the head
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. clip — a video
  24. hand — in cards

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