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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: wake · racket · date · cabinet · club · last · hide · plane

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. club — for dancing
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. last — to go on
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. date — the fruit

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