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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. spell — a short time
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. spell — letters
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. drill — army training
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. spell — magic
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. fall — the season

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