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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. plane — a tool
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. court — of law
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. clip — to cut
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. court — of a king
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. date — the fruit
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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