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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 · drill · bass · track · nail · chair · race · temple

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. club — a group
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. track — a song
  12. bass — low music
  13. drill — the tool
  14. club — for dancing
  15. track — to keep track
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. race — humankind
  20. club — for golf
  21. chair — a leader
  22. track — a path
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bass — the fish

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