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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: fan · club · jam · staff · root · hand · drill · court

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. staff — employees
  5. court — of law
  6. club — a group
  7. staff — a stick
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. root — of a word
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. court — of a king
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. drill — a practice
  16. root — the cause
  17. court — for sport
  18. root — of a plant
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. club — for golf
  23. hand — help
  24. staff — employees

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