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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: season · last · racket · nail · wave · staff · drill · game

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. last — final
  3. game — wild animals
  4. last — to go on
  5. season — of the year
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — the tool
  8. staff — employees
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. season — in sport
  13. game — a match
  14. last — finally
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. staff — a stick
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. staff — employees

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