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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: straw · bowl · kick · safe · nail · court · perch · fall

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. fall — to drop
  3. court — for sport
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. kick — in football
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fall — the season
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. court — of a king
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. fall — to drop
  22. perch — the fish
  23. court — of law
  24. perch — for a bird

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