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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 · spring · land · band · chair · temple · court · march

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. court — of a king
  3. band — a ring
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. march — music
  6. land — to come down
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. march — the month
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. chair — a leader
  12. spring — a coil
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. march — the month
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. band — a music group
  20. court — of law
  21. land — ground
  22. court — for sport
  23. land — a country
  24. band — a rubber band

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