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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 · wake · plane · bat · saw · hide · nail · rule

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. court — for sport
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. saw — the tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bat — the animal
  12. plane — a tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. rule — government

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