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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 116 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: saw · court · prune · safe · root · kid · pit · scale

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. kid — child
  3. court — of law
  4. root — of a word
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. root — the cause
  7. scale — size or range
  8. court — for sport
  9. root — of a plant
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. prune — to trim
  14. saw — the tool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pit — a hole
  19. kid — to tease
  20. pit — in a race
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. scale — in music
  24. safe — a strongbox

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