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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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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: rock · drill · chair · cabinet · cue · bulb · hand · bat

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cue — a signal
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. drill — army training
  15. rock — music
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. hand — help
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rock — a stone
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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