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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 116 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: court · content · face · fan · march · safe · wound · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. court — for sport
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wound — an injury
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. march — music
  13. content — the amount
  14. march — the month
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — of law
  20. content — happy
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mate — a partner
  23. march — the month
  24. face — to point toward

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