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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.

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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: ground · safe · court · fan · nail · current · kick · object

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. court — of law
  3. ground — crushed
  4. court — of a king
  5. object — a thing
  6. ground — a position
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. court — for sport
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ground — the earth
  17. object — an aim
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. object — to protest
  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