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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
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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: game · band · drill · fan · pop · roll · foot · hand

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. drill — a practice
  3. game — wild animals
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. band — a ring
  6. pop — soda
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pop — music
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. roll — a list
  15. drill — army training
  16. game — a match
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. band — a music group
  20. pop — to visit
  21. roll — a cake
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. drill — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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