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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 · hand · spring · temple · chair · fine · pop · suit

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pop — to visit
  4. spring — of water
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. suit — to fit
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. drill — army training
  10. hand — help
  11. suit — clothes
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. spring — a coil
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. fine — all right
  16. drill — the tool
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pop — music
  19. drill — a practice
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fine — high quality
  23. spring — the season
  24. pop — soda

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