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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · racket · clip · pit · temple · track · court · safe

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — a path
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pit — a hole
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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