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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: chip · march · club · ground · fork · net · stand · hide

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. club — a group
  5. net — for catching
  6. club — for dancing
  7. march — music
  8. ground — the earth
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. club — for golf
  13. fork — in a road
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chip — for betting
  19. stand — to bear
  20. net — after costs
  21. chip — to eat
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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