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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: pass · court · plane · saw · bat · leaves · kid · current

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. kid — child
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. kid — to tease
  9. current — electric
  10. court — of a king
  11. bat — the animal
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. court — for sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. current — of water
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. saw — the tool
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. court — of law
  24. current — happening now

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