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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: cell · nail · chest · mouse · chair · saw · pop · drill

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. drill — a practice
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cell — in biology
  8. chair — a leader
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. saw — the tool
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. saw — the tool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. drill — army training
  16. chest — of your body
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pop — soda
  22. chest — a box
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. chair — to sit on

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