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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: drill · present · club · chair · root · squash · craft · mug

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. mug — a cup
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — there
  10. mug — to rob
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. mug — a face
  13. drill — army training
  14. club — for dancing
  15. root — the cause
  16. present — the time now
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. drill — a practice
  20. squash — to crush
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. drill — the tool
  24. chair — to sit on

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