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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: mark · court · cell · safe · ball · fall · stock · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mark — a grade
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. court — of law
  9. clip — a video
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. clip — to cut
  18. court — of a king
  19. stock — goods
  20. court — for sport
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stock — shares
  24. ball — a great time

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