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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: ball · safe · squash · court · stand · pit · rock · file

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rock — music
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. ball — a dance
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. file — a line of people
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. file — a document
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rock — a stone
  18. file — a tool
  19. pit — in a race
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pit — a hole
  23. squash — to crush
  24. court — of a king

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