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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · nail · fan · plane · court · ball · date · chair

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. hand — help
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. hand — in cards
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ball — a dance
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ball — a great time
  21. plane — a tool
  22. date — the fruit
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. fan — a supporter

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