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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 116 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: rash · racket · club · clip · hand · mark · plane · craft

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. hand — in cards
  3. clip — for paper
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. hand — help
  10. clip — a video
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. club — for dancing
  13. clip — to cut
  14. plane — a tool
  15. club — a group
  16. craft — a skill
  17. mark — a grade
  18. rash — a series
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. rash — hasty
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — boats
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. club — for golf

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