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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: court · toast · object · pop · mine · safe · jam · ground

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. pop — music
  6. object — to protest
  7. mine — for digging
  8. ground — the earth
  9. toast — bread
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pop — soda
  12. court — of law
  13. ground — crushed
  14. court — of a king
  15. ground — a position
  16. pop — to visit
  17. object — a thing
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. object — an aim
  20. court — for sport
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. jam — in traffic

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