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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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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: hand · court · calf · pit · stock · lean · land · safe

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. court — of law
  3. pit — a hole
  4. lean — to bend
  5. hand — help
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. lean — thin
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. court — of a king
  12. land — ground
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. court — for sport
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. land — a country
  19. hand — in cards
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. land — to come down
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pit — in a race

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