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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 120 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: mark · court · temple · staff · land · wake · bat · plane

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. mark — a grade
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a trace
  6. court — of a king
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. land — ground
  9. plane — a tool
  10. court — for sport
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. court — of law
  15. land — to come down
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wake — a trail
  19. land — a country
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bat — the animal
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wake — before a funeral

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