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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: safe · rush · last · court · kid · spell · field · wake

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. field — for sport
  3. wake — a trail
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. court — of law
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spell — magic
  8. field — a subject
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. kid — to tease
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. court — of a king
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. last — final
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. kid — child
  18. court — for sport
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. last — finally
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. field — farmland

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