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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: drill · ball · fork · saw · cabinet · rush · fall · jam

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. fall — to drop
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. fall — the season
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. fork — in a road
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a great time
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. drill — army training
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fork — to eat with

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