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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: drill · court · chair · racket · pitcher · craft · safe · last

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. drill — the tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. court — for sport
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. last — final
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. craft — boats
  21. drill — a practice
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. drill — army training

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