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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: drill · toast · lie · press · fine · club · saw · wound

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. drill — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. club — for dancing
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fine — high quality
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wound — an injury
  12. club — a group
  13. fine — all right
  14. drill — army training
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — bread
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wound — an injury
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. press — to push

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