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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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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 · race · court · ball · fall · rush · pitch · chest

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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 law
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pitch — completely
  5. court — of a king
  6. race — a contest
  7. fall — the season
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fall — to drop
  10. chest — a box
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. chest — of your body
  14. race — humankind
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. court — for sport
  22. rush — hurry
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. chest — of your body

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