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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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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: racket · clip · fork · field · nail · club · safe · file

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. club — for golf
  3. field — for sport
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. file — a document
  6. clip — a video
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. file — a tool
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. clip — to cut
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for dancing
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. file — a line of people

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