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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: fork · hide · sharp · cell · rash · club · nail · snap

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cell — a phone
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rash — hasty
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rash — a series
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. sharp — clever
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. club — for golf
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. fork — in a road
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cell — in biology

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