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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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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: file · object · court · hand · spell · ball · safe · saw

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. file — a line of people
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — to protest
  7. court — for sport
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. hand — in cards
  10. file — a tool
  11. court — of law
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. ball — a great time
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spell — letters
  17. object — an aim
  18. hand — help
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. file — a document
  22. court — of a king
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. spell — magic

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