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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: mouse · object · last · band · safe · track · court · kid

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. court — of a king
  4. object — a thing
  5. track — a song
  6. last — finally
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. object — to protest
  9. band — a music group
  10. track — to keep track
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. object — an aim
  14. court — of law
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. kid — child
  19. last — to go on
  20. court — for sport
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. track — a path
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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