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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: chest · ball · drill · bass · wake · chip · rush · roll

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. roll — a list
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chip — for betting
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rush — hurry
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. wake — a trail
  22. chest — a box
  23. chip — to eat
  24. roll — a cake

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