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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.

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: temple · kid · sharp · bass · court · safe · clip · object

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. clip — for paper
  3. court — for sport
  4. object — an aim
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. court — of law
  8. bass — low music
  9. clip — a video
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. object — to protest
  16. clip — to cut
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. object — a thing
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. kid — child
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bass — the fish
  24. kid — to tease

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