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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: club · nail · drill · last · chair · suit · scale · pop

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. club — for golf
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pop — soda
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pop — music
  7. last — to go on
  8. pop — to visit
  9. club — for dancing
  10. suit — clothes
  11. drill — army training
  12. suit — in cards
  13. drill — a practice
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. drill — the tool
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. club — a group
  19. suit — to fit
  20. chair — a leader
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. scale — in music
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. last — final

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