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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: court · stock · face · pitch · wound · safe · wave · saw

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. face — to point toward
  3. court — of a king
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. court — of law
  8. face — to confront
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. court — for sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. stock — shares
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. stock — goods
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. face — part of the head

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