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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 116 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: court · bay · row · plane · straw · hide · nail · clip

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. court — of law
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. court — for sport
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. row — a line
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. clip — for paper
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. court — of a king

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