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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: bowl · chest · mug · hand · jam · last · drill · cabinet

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. last — finally
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. drill — army training
  8. mug — to rob
  9. drill — a practice
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. drill — the tool
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. last — final
  18. mug — a face
  19. chest — a box
  20. last — to go on
  21. hand — help
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. jam — in traffic

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