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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 120 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: rash · chest · drill · pass · club · mouse · hide · fork

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I seem to be developing 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. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pass — a permit
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. club — for golf
  7. rash — hasty
  8. club — a group
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. drill — a practice
  13. fork — in a road
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rash — a series
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rash — on the skin
  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