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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · ball · court · safe · cold · march · object · leaves

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cold — an illness
  5. march — the month
  6. can — to be able to
  7. cold — not warm
  8. ball — a great time
  9. march — music
  10. court — for sport
  11. can — a tin
  12. ball — a dance
  13. object — an aim
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. court — of law
  18. march — the month
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. court — of a king
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. can — a tin
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. object — a thing

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