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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: temple · safe · scale · court · fan · wound · board · rush

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wound — an injury
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. scale — in music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. board — a committee
  16. scale — size or range
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. court — of a king
  19. rush — hurry
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. wound — an injury
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. rush — a thrill

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