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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · drill · cap · mine · firm · chest · pop · game

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pop — to visit
  5. firm — steady
  6. drill — a practice
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pop — music
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. pop — soda
  15. game — wild animals
  16. firm — a company
  17. cap — of ice
  18. firm — decided
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. game — a match
  21. drill — army training
  22. cap — a hat
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cap — a lid

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