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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
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: saw · nail · land · club · vault · clip · court · plane

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. club — a group
  3. court — of a king
  4. saw — the tool
  5. land — to come down
  6. clip — to cut
  7. land — ground
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. clip — for paper
  12. club — for golf
  13. vault — a safe
  14. saw — the tool
  15. clip — a video
  16. land — a country
  17. plane — a tool
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. club — for dancing
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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