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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: snap · nail · cabinet · chair · fall · drill · perch · pitch

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. fall — the season
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. snap — to click
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitch — completely
  10. fall — to drop
  11. perch — the fish
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — the tool
  17. chair — a leader
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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