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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 · cell · fan · ball · ruler · mine · rest · rock

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rock — music
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rest — a break
  10. ball — a dance
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. drill — a practice
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rock — a stone
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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