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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.

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: drill · game · hand · pit · bass · arm · march · present

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. hand — help
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. present — the time now
  7. hand — in cards
  8. present — there
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. drill — the tool
  13. march — music
  14. game — a match
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. drill — army training
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. present — a gift
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bass — low music
  23. pit — a hole
  24. arm — part of the body

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