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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 120 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 · spell · chest · pitcher · rest · firm · mug · face

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. firm — decided
  6. firm — steady
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. firm — a company
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mug — a face
  13. drill — army training
  14. chest — of your body
  15. face — to confront
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. face — to point toward
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mug — a cup
  23. chest — a box
  24. spell — magic

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