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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: court · board · clip · foot · plane · stock · wind · row

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. court — of law
  4. wind — moving air
  5. row — to paddle
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. clip — a video
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. row — a line
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. wind — moving air
  13. clip — for paper
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. board — a committee
  16. plane — a tool
  17. board — to get on
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. stock — goods
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. stock — shares
  23. clip — to cut
  24. foot — the bottom

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