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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · saw · drill · scale · bore · hand · arm · chest

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. hand — help
  3. chest — of your body
  4. scale — size or range
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hand — in cards
  8. chest — of your body
  9. drill — a practice
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bore — to tire
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. drill — the tool
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. drill — army training
  20. bore — to drill
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. saw — the tool
  24. chest — a box

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