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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
468
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: roll · pitcher · leaves · wind · face · safe · cap · court

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. court — of a king
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. face — to confront
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — a list
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wind — moving air
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wind — moving air
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. face — to point toward
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. roll — on a roll

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