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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · nail · lie · plane · pitch · clip · last · perch

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. clip — to cut
  3. court — of a king
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. court — for sport
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. perch — the fish
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pitch — completely
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. clip — a video
  21. court — of law
  22. last — finally
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lie — to recline

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