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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: content · jam · bass · cabinet · drill · mine · club · nail

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. content — happy
  3. bass — the fish
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. drill — the tool
  8. club — a group
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. content — the amount
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mine — for digging
  16. club — for golf
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. drill — a practice
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bass — low music
  24. cabinet — ministers

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