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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 · rest · hide · jam · cell · toast

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. drill — army training
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cell — in biology
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. rest — a break
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. toast — bread
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. cell — a phone

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