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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 116 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: rash · saw · drill · ball · land · court · safe · field

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. court — for sport
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. rash — a series
  8. court — of a king
  9. land — a country
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. land — ground
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. field — farmland
  15. land — to come down
  16. field — a subject
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. court — of law
  21. drill — a practice
  22. ball — a great time
  23. field — for sport
  24. drill — army training

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