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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: cold · bat · firm · nail · temple · court · plane · board

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. court — of a king
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. firm — decided
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. board — to get on
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cold — an illness
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. plane — a tool
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — steady
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. board — a committee
  18. bat — the animal
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. cold — not warm
  24. nail — for a hammer

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