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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 116 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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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 · rule · court · stick · mouse · shower · cell · ground

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. ground — the earth
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. rule — a law
  9. cell — a phone
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cell — in biology
  12. ground — crushed
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. shower — rain
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. ground — a position
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. rule — government
  24. shower — to wash

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