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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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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 · present · file · leaves · bowl · wind · court · mate

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. present — there
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. court — for sport
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mate — a partner
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. court — of law
  19. mate — a friend
  20. court — of a king
  21. present — a gift
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wind — moving air
  24. file — a document

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