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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 · plane · hand · race · pop · charge · club · wake

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. race — humankind
  4. pop — soda
  5. race — a contest
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. wake — a trail
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for golf
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pop — music
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. hand — help
  16. pop — to visit
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — electricity
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. race — the arms race
  24. hand — in cards

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