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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: season · plane · lie · swing · mark · cap · nail · court

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. season — of the year
  6. mark — a trace
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. court — of law
  11. swing — in golf
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. plane — a tool
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mark — a grade
  17. court — for sport
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cap — a lid
  22. court — of a king
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. season — in sport

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