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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mug · nail · rest · fan · club · board · clip · chest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. clip — a video
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rest — a break
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. club — for golf
  12. chest — of your body
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mug — a face
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rest — what's left
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. chest — a box
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mug — a cup
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. fan — a supporter

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