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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.

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: present · clip · pitcher · plane · jam · arm · court · bat

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. present — the time now
  4. clip — for paper
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. present — there
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bat — the animal
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. court — of law
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. clip — a video
  22. present — a gift
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. plane — a tool

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