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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 · wake · kid · court · fall · jam · staff · stick

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. fall — the season
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. wake — a trail
  6. staff — a stick
  7. court — for sport
  8. drill — army training
  9. staff — employees
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. kid — child
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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