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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fall — the season
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mark — a grade
  6. saw — the tool
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wind — moving air
  9. staff — employees
  10. spell — magic
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wind — moving air
  13. drill — a practice
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. spell — letters
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. drill — army training
  24. saw — the tool

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