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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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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: drill · chair · club · wind · dip · racket

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. club — a group
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. drill — a practice
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wind — moving air
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. dip — to sink
  13. drill — army training
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — for dancing
  18. drill — the tool

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