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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: safe · court · pitcher · saw · wake · ground · bear · roll

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. court — of a king
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. court — for sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bear — the animal
  11. court — of law
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. ground — the earth
  16. roll — a list
  17. ground — a position
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bear — the animal
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. saw — the tool

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