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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. staff — a stick
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bat — the animal
  6. file — a line of people
  7. staff — employees
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. content — happy
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. staff — employees
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. file — a tool
  19. content — the amount
  20. file — a document
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. club — for golf
  23. board — a committee
  24. chair — to sit on

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