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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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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 · chest · racket · key · drill · chair · can · land

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. land — a country
  4. club — for dancing
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. land — ground
  7. chest — a box
  8. key — the most important part
  9. can — to be able to
  10. drill — a practice
  11. can — a tin
  12. chest — of your body
  13. drill — the tool
  14. club — for golf
  15. key — for a lock
  16. chair — a leader
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. club — a group
  19. can — a tin
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. key — in music
  22. drill — army training
  23. land — to come down
  24. chest — of your body

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