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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: court · fork · tear · safe · rash · chest · leaves · date

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rash — a series
  3. court — of a king
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. fork — in a road
  6. chest — a box
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. chest — of your body
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. court — of law
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. court — for sport
  20. rash — hasty
  21. chest — of your body
  22. tear — to rip
  23. date — the fruit
  24. rash — on the skin

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