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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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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: straw · chair · safe · racket · mouse · race · court · content

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. court — for sport
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — a contest
  5. court — of law
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. content — happy
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. court — of a king
  22. chair — a leader
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. race — humankind

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