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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: bay · rock · pound · chip · rest · drill · lie · saw

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rock — music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lie — to recline
  11. drill — the tool
  12. chip — to eat
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pound — a weight
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chip — for betting
  22. drill — army training
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. rock — a stone

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