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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 116 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 · fan · sharp · swing · wound · chip · ruler · drill

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. drill — the tool
  5. chip — for betting
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. club — for dancing
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. swing — music
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. drill — army training
  19. sharp — clever
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. swing — to play on
  23. drill — a practice
  24. swing — in golf

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