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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. drill — the tool
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. drill — a practice
  5. chest — a box
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. ball — a dance
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. branch — a division
  13. drill — army training
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. chest — of your body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. game — a match
  24. foot — a measure

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