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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: sharp · rash · wake · mark · kid · racket

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mark — a trace
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. rash — a series
  12. sharp — clever
  13. kid — to tease
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. kid — child
  18. wake — a trail

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