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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: cell · land · ball · wound · saw · safe · court · march

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. court — of a king
  4. ball — a great time
  5. march — the month
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. cell — in biology
  8. saw — the tool
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. land — to come down
  11. cell — a phone
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. march — music
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. march — the month
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. court — for sport
  19. wound — an injury
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. ball — a dance
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. court — of law

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