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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 116 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: snap · kid · bank · fine · last · ruler · drill · hand

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bank — for money
  4. last — finally
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. snap — to click
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bank — for money
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. kid — child
  11. last — to go on
  12. hand — help
  13. drill — army training
  14. kid — to tease
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. hand — in cards
  19. last — final
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bank — of a river
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — all right
  24. drill — a practice

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