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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.

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: mouse · safe · court · net · tube · band · snap · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. court — of a king
  5. net — for catching
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. band — a ring
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. tube — a container
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. court — for sport
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. band — a music group
  20. court — of law
  21. tube — the underground
  22. snap — to click
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. hand — part of the body

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