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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 · march · pit · perch · press · court · file

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. ball — a great time
  3. press — a publisher
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. file — a tool
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. press — newspapers
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. file — a document
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. court — of law
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pit — in a race
  14. perch — the fish
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. march — music
  17. press — to push
  18. file — a line of people
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. march — the month
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. pit — a hole
  23. court — of a king
  24. march — the month

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