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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: clip · club · ruler · nail · pitcher · fork · board · chest

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. club — a group
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. board — a committee
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. club — for dancing
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. club — for golf
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. clip — a video
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. clip — to cut
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. chest — a box
  22. clip — for paper
  23. chest — of your body
  24. nail — on a finger

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