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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: object · jam · rash · rest · mine · game · spell · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rest — a break
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. drill — the tool
  10. object — to protest
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. mine — for digging
  13. spell — letters
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. object — an aim
  16. rash — a series
  17. game — a match
  18. rash — hasty
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. object — a thing
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. drill — a practice

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