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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 120 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: net · chair · leaves · drill · club · rush · rock · march

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. net — for catching
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. chair — a leader
  7. club — a group
  8. drill — army training
  9. rock — music
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. club — for dancing
  12. net — after costs
  13. march — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. march — the month
  16. drill — a practice
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. net — in sport
  20. club — for golf
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. march — the month

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