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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
468
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: mark · bat · plane · temple · clip · key · fall · leaves

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fall — to drop
  3. key — for a lock
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. clip — to cut
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. key — in music
  11. fall — to drop
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fall — the season
  15. mark — a trace
  16. clip — a video
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bat — the animal
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. key — the most important part

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