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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: chest · foot · fall · bowl · bound · court · safe · kick

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. kick — in football
  5. chest — a box
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chest — of your body
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fall — to drop
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. fall — the season
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. court — of law
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — a strongbox

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