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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 · mug · saw · bulb · roll · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mug — a face
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. saw — the tool
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. drill — a practice
  8. roll — a list
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mug — to rob
  11. roll — a cake
  12. mug — a cup
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. net — in sport
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. net — for catching
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. saw — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. chair — a professorship

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