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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: nail · game · club · shower · rash · chair · fine · stem

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. rash — hasty
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. game — wild animals
  8. club — a group
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. game — a match
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. chair — a leader
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. shower — rain
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — for dancing
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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