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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: drill · lie · staff · roll · craft · rest · pass · bat

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. roll — a list
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. staff — employees
  6. lie — to recline
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. roll — a cake
  11. craft — boats
  12. rest — what's left
  13. drill — the tool
  14. craft — a skill
  15. drill — a practice
  16. staff — a stick
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rest — what's left
  19. staff — employees
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. drill — army training
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pass — a permit
  24. craft — a handicraft

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