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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: cabinet · pass · saw · drill · wind · mouse · arm · bowl

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. drill — a practice
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pass — a permit
  17. wind — moving air
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. saw — the tool

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