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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cell · rock · bear · last · hand · bay · game

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. drill — a practice
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. last — final
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rock — music
  14. bear — the animal
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. hand — help
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. game — a match
  23. cell — in biology
  24. game — wild animals

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