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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 120 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. shower — rain
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. field — farmland
  8. board — a committee
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. field — for sport
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. field — a subject
  18. shower — to wash
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. club — for dancing
  21. board — to get on
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. club — for golf
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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