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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: date · kid · court · kick · perch · safe · board · stand

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. stand — to bear
  4. date — the fruit
  5. kick — in football
  6. kid — to tease
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. board — a committee
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. board — to get on
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. kid — child
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. court — of a king
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. stand — for spectators

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