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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 120 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: court · safe · temple · last · board · kid · cue · bark

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cue — for pool
  8. last — final
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. cue — a signal
  11. kid — to tease
  12. board — a committee
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. court — of law
  15. kid — child
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. last — finally
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. last — to go on
  20. board — to get on
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. court — for sport
  23. bark — to shout
  24. court — of a king

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