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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 · can · bulb · craft · court · chest · club · game

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. court — for sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. craft — a skill
  10. chest — of your body
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bulb — for light
  13. can — a tin
  14. chest — a box
  15. craft — boats
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. club — for dancing
  20. can — to be able to
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. game — wild animals
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bulb — for light

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