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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 116 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.

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: march · fork · bat · nail · game · cabinet · drill · object

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bat — the animal
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. object — a thing
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. drill — a practice
  13. march — music
  14. fork — in a road
  15. march — the month
  16. object — to protest
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. drill — army training
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. object — an aim
  23. march — the month
  24. bat — in an idiom

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