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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: chip · degree · bowl · drill · bank · rush · ball · nail

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bank — of a river
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bank — for money
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. degree — from a university
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bank — for money
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. degree — temperature
  19. ball — a dance
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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