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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: cabinet · drill · chest · club · lean · roll · mate · ground

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lean — thin
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. drill — the tool
  5. roll — a cake
  6. mate — a friend
  7. roll — a list
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mate — a partner
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. club — for golf
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. ground — a position
  14. chest — of your body
  15. club — a group
  16. drill — a practice
  17. ground — crushed
  18. drill — army training
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. chest — a box
  21. mate — to breed
  22. lean — to bend
  23. club — for dancing
  24. cabinet — ministers

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