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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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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: kid · chair · drill · rest · key · hand · pass · board

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. rest — what's left
  4. drill — army training
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pass — a permit
  8. drill — a practice
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. key — the most important part
  13. kid — child
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. key — for a lock
  16. chair — a leader
  17. key — in music
  18. rest — a break
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. board — to get on
  22. kid — to tease
  23. board — a committee
  24. drill — the tool

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