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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: club · board · chip · rest · chest · saw · roll · pit

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pit — in a race
  4. board — a committee
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rest — what's left
  7. chest — of your body
  8. board — to get on
  9. chip — for betting
  10. saw — the tool
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chest — a box
  14. rest — a break
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pit — a hole
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. roll — a list
  20. club — for golf
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. chip — to eat
  24. club — a group

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