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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: land · rush · safe · court · bat · spring · nail · charge

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. charge — in control
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. land — a country
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spring — a coil
  10. court — for sport
  11. charge — a price
  12. bat — the animal
  13. land — to come down
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. court — of a king
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. charge — electricity
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. court — of law
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. land — ground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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