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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.

Make a worksheet

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: game · arm · bowl · court · mine · perch · present · safe

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. game — wild animals
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. present — there
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. court — of law
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — a gift
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. game — a match
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bowl — to roll

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