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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.

Make a worksheet

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: clip · safe · kid · staff · ground · bound · key · court

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bound — obliged
  3. court — for sport
  4. ground — a position
  5. staff — employees
  6. key — the most important part
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bound — certain
  9. key — in music
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. court — of law
  12. ground — crushed
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bound — tied together
  17. court — of a king
  18. clip — to cut
  19. staff — a stick
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. ground — the earth
  23. staff — employees
  24. safe — out of danger

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