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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: pass · fall · pitcher · plane · rash · court · hand · clip

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. hand — in cards
  3. court — for sport
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. fall — the season
  6. rash — a series
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. plane — a tool
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rash — hasty
  14. fall — to drop
  15. clip — a video
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. clip — to cut
  18. hand — help
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. clip — for paper
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pitcher — a jug

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