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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: jam · last · firm · fine · chest · drill · roll · spring

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — the tool
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. firm — a company
  5. chest — of your body
  6. roll — a cake
  7. last — final
  8. roll — a list
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. chest — a box
  12. firm — steady
  13. last — to go on
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fine — high quality
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. firm — decided
  20. fine — all right
  21. last — finally
  22. spring — a coil
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. jam — a tight spot

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