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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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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: plane · saw · calf · mark · rule · season · hand · club

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — for dancing
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rule — government
  11. hand — help
  12. mark — a grade
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mark — a trace
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rule — a law
  21. club — a group
  22. saw — the tool
  23. plane — a tool
  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