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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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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 · drill · roll · cabinet · chest · stick · wind · club

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. drill — army training
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. roll — a cake
  9. wind — moving air
  10. club — a group
  11. chest — a box
  12. cell — in biology
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wind — moving air
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your 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