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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
468
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: club · rush · nail · fork · cell · pop · hand · mate

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mate — a partner
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pop — music
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pop — to visit
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. club — a group
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. hand — help
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pop — soda
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fork — in a road
  24. nail — for a hammer

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