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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 · band · plane · clip · temple · club · pass · face

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. band — a ring
  4. pass — a permit
  5. band — a music group
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. court — of law
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to confront
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. clip — to cut
  14. court — of a king
  15. club — a group
  16. clip — for paper
  17. face — to point toward
  18. court — for sport
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — a tool
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. clip — a video
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. club — for golf

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