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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: rock · clip · court · bat · plane · date · pitcher · mark

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. plane — a tool
  3. date — the fruit
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. clip — for paper
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. clip — a video
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — for sport
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bat — the animal
  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