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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: lash · cap · deal · club · plane · toast · racket · clip

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. clip — for paper
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. cap — of ice
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cap — a hat
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. clip — to cut
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. club — a group
  13. plane — a tool
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cap — a lid
  19. toast — bread
  20. club — for golf
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. deal — to handle
  23. clip — a video
  24. racket — a loud noise

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