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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: roll · club · trunk · coach · drill · ground · chair · bass

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bass — low music
  3. drill — army training
  4. club — for golf
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. drill — the tool
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. ground — crushed
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — a group
  20. roll — a list
  21. ground — a position
  22. roll — a cake
  23. bass — the fish
  24. drill — a practice

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