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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: cell · rest · pop · pass · march · drill · foot · nail

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. rest — a break
  3. pop — soda
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cell — in biology
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. foot — a measure
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rest — what's left
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pass — a permit
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. march — the month
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pass — to spend time

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