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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 · toast · safe · net · pitcher · spring · cell · ruler

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. court — of law
  5. net — in sport
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. spring — the season
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. cell — in biology
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. court — of a king
  13. toast — bread
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. spring — a coil
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. spring — of water
  22. cell — a phone
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. pitcher — a jug

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