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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: straw · trunk · game · plane · bass · date · last · court

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. court — of a king
  3. date — the fruit
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. court — for sport
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. plane — a tool
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. last — to go on
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. game — wild animals
  15. last — final
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. last — finally
  19. game — a match
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. court — of law

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