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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: cabinet · cue · ball · last · court · pitcher · stand · safe

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. last — to go on
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. court — of law
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cue — a signal
  10. court — for sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. last — finally
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. court — of a king
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. last — final
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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