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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.

Make a worksheet

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: safe · game · kick · row · bass · court · last · arm

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. row — a line
  6. game — a match
  7. court — of law
  8. last — to go on
  9. bass — the fish
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. court — for sport
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. game — wild animals
  17. court — of a king
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bass — low music
  20. kick — in football
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. row — to paddle
  24. arm — a part of something

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