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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: fine · club · board · march · nail · clip · wake · hide

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. club — for golf
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. march — the month
  9. club — for dancing
  10. board — to get on
  11. fine — high quality
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. wake — a trail
  16. march — the month
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fine — all right
  22. board — a committee
  23. club — a group
  24. march — music

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