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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: mark · plane · game · can · court · hide · last · club

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. game — wild animals
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. last — finally
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. last — final
  8. can — a tin
  9. court — of law
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. last — to go on
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. mark — a trace
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. club — a group
  16. mark — a grade
  17. plane — a tool
  18. can — to be able to
  19. court — of a king
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. court — for sport
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. can — a tin
  24. game — a match

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