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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.

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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: patient · lie · hide · safe · court · wave · club · tear

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. club — for golf
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. tear — from crying
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. club — a group
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. club — for dancing
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. patient — a sick person

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