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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: temple · chair · nail · game · snap · club · firm · cell

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. snap — to click
  3. club — for golf
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — a company
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cell — in biology
  13. firm — steady
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. club — for dancing
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. club — a group
  20. game — wild animals
  21. chair — a leader
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cell — a phone

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