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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: hand · drill · saw · wind · rule · bat · chair · cabinet

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. drill — army training
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. rule — government
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. hand — help
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. hand — in cards
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rule — a law
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. drill — a practice
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wind — moving air

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