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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: pass · fall · game · drill · spell · nail · land · dip

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. drill — a practice
  5. spell — a short time
  6. fall — to drop
  7. land — a country
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pass — a permit
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fall — to drop
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. land — ground
  16. game — a match
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. land — to come down
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fall — the season
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. dip — to sink
  24. game — a kind of play

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