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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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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: fork · mark · hide · club · hand · pitcher · chair · wave

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. club — for dancing
  5. chair — a leader
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. club — a group
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. club — for golf
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. hand — help
  24. pitcher — a jug

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