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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: club · stick · capital · ground · drill · board · nail · rock

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. club — for golf
  3. rock — music
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. capital — a city
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. capital — money
  10. ground — the earth
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. club — for dancing
  13. board — to get on
  14. ground — a position
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. board — a committee
  17. drill — a practice
  18. club — a group
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rock — a stone
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. ground — crushed
  24. drill — army training

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