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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: net · ground · track · safe · bulb · foot · court · sharp

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. ground — a position
  2. net — for catching
  3. track — a path
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ground — crushed
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. track — a song
  10. net — after costs
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. court — of a king
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. court — for sport
  15. net — in sport
  16. track — to keep track
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bulb — for light
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. sharp — clever
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. ground — the earth
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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