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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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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: trunk · club · content · chest · nail · squash · net · bowl

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. content — the amount
  3. club — for golf
  4. squash — the sport
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. chest — of your body
  7. net — after costs
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. net — for catching
  10. chest — a box
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. club — for dancing
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. chest — of your body
  16. content — happy
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. net — in sport
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. squash — to crush

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