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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: tear · straw · plane · net · court · temple · nail · pit

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. pit — in a race
  3. court — of law
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. court — for sport
  8. tear — from crying
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. net — after costs
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. tear — to rip
  18. court — of a king
  19. net — in sport
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pit — a hole
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. net — for catching
  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