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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: mark · nail · wave · kid · temple · plane · court · last

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. last — final
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. kid — to tease
  8. mark — a trace
  9. plane — a tool
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. last — to go on
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. kid — child
  17. last — finally
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. court — of a king
  24. nail — for a hammer

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