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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: stand · court · object · content · safe · deal · rock · wound

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. content — happy
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. object — an aim
  7. court — of law
  8. rock — music
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. object — to protest
  15. court — of a king
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. object — a thing
  20. court — for sport
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. content — the amount
  23. wound — an injury
  24. content — videos and posts

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