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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
468
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: fall · plane · pitcher · calf · hide · clip · cue · court

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. court — of a king
  4. fall — to drop
  5. court — for sport
  6. cue — a hint
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. cue — for pool
  10. clip — a video
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fall — to drop
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. court — of law
  20. fall — the season
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cue — a signal
  24. plane — an aircraft

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