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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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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 · staff · rest · deal · pound · chest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. drill — army training
  4. deal — to handle
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. rest — what's left
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pound — a weight
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. staff — employees
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rest — a break

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