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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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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: safe · saw · hand · ruler · fall · race · date · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. saw — the tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. court — of a king
  13. race — the arms race
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. court — of law
  16. hand — help
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. race — a contest
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. race — humankind

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