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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: saw · drill · chest · rock · bay · nail · game · swing

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. game — a match
  5. saw — the tool
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. game — wild animals
  8. swing — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rock — music
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chest — a box
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. rock — a stone
  23. chest — of your body
  24. swing — in golf

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