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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: court · tube · key · last · bay · kid · rock · safe

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. court — of a king
  3. rock — music
  4. court — of law
  5. last — finally
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. key — in music
  16. tube — the underground
  17. last — to go on
  18. key — the most important part
  19. kid — child
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. kid — to tease
  22. court — for sport
  23. last — final
  24. rock — a stone

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