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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 · drill · rest · bat · saw · bass · hide · deal

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. saw — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. rash — a series
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rash — hasty
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rest — a break
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bass — low music

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