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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: hand · stock · roll · cap · swing · lean · drill · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cap — a lid
  5. hand — help
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. roll — a list
  8. swing — to play on
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. drill — army training
  12. cap — of ice
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. last — final
  16. stock — shares
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. stock — goods
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. hand — in cards
  24. roll — a cake

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