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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
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 · court · safe · season · mine · root · mouse · fan

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. root — the cause
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. court — of law
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. root — of a plant
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. root — of a word
  20. court — for sport
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. court — of a king
  24. mine — belonging to me

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