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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: safe · stand · leaves · court · fan · bound · mate · last

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. court — of law
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. last — to go on
  5. stand — to bear
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. last — final
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. court — of a king
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bound — certain
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. last — finally
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. court — for sport
  24. mate — to breed

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