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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: rash · fork · stand · drill · foot · last · net · deal

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. net — for catching
  7. drill — the tool
  8. foot — a measure
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. fork — in a road
  13. deal — to handle
  14. drill — army training
  15. net — in sport
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. net — after costs
  18. stand — to bear
  19. rash — hasty
  20. last — finally
  21. rash — a series
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. last — to go on

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