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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
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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: race · safe · staff · squash · chair · hand · court · date

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. court — of a king
  3. race — humankind
  4. date — the fruit
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. race — a contest
  12. squash — the sport
  13. race — the arms race
  14. staff — employees
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. staff — a stick
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. hand — in cards
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. staff — employees
  24. date — on the calendar

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