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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · court · face · clip · leaves · safe · row · bay

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. face — to point toward
  4. court — for sport
  5. clip — to cut
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. court — of a king
  12. face — part of the head
  13. row — a line
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. clip — for paper
  19. row — to paddle
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. can — a tin
  22. clip — a video
  23. can — a tin
  24. face — to confront

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