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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 120 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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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: cap · fan · staff · cold · deal · bat · drill · rush

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — army training
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. drill — a practice
  8. deal — to handle
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rush — hurry
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. staff — employees
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. cold — not warm
  22. staff — employees
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cold — an illness

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