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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: hide · bulb · nail · club · face · sharp · chair · ball

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. club — for golf
  9. ball — a great time
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. chair — a leader
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. club — for dancing
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. face — to confront
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. club — a group
  22. face — part of the head
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. face — to point toward

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