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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 120 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: bulb · march · club · kid · squash · tear · court · safe

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  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. court — for sport
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bulb — for light
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. march — music
  8. squash — to crush
  9. tear — from crying
  10. court — of a king
  11. bulb — for light
  12. club — for golf
  13. squash — the sport
  14. club — a group
  15. kid — child
  16. march — the month
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kid — to tease
  19. march — the month
  20. tear — from crying
  21. club — for dancing
  22. court — of law
  23. tear — to rip
  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