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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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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: field · temple · saw · club · key · court · chair · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. drill — army training
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. key — in music
  6. court — of a king
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. key — the most important part
  12. field — a subject
  13. court — for sport
  14. chair — a leader
  15. court — of law
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. saw — the tool
  18. club — a group
  19. key — for a lock
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. field — for sport
  23. drill — a practice
  24. field — farmland

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