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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.

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: rock · saw · bowl · dip · chest · march · fine · drill

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. drill — army training
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. fine — all right
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. drill — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chest — a box
  12. march — the month
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. drill — a practice
  17. march — the month
  18. saw — the tool
  19. march — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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