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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 · trunk · chair · last · mark · hand · drill · club

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mark — a grade
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mark — a trace
  6. club — for dancing
  7. last — finally
  8. chair — a leader
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. hand — help
  12. drill — a practice
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. hand — in cards
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. last — to go on
  20. club — a group
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. club — for golf

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