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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.

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: drill · racket · spring · fine · rule · saw · bat · bank

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spring — of water
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rule — a law
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bat — the animal
  10. spring — a coil
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. fine — high quality
  14. drill — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. bank — for money
  18. fine — all right
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rule — government
  21. bank — for money
  22. spring — the season
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. drill — a practice

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