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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: nail · chest · pitcher · key · drill · row · fan · chair

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. row — a line
  4. chest — a box
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chest — of your body
  8. key — the most important part
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. key — in music
  15. drill — the tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. drill — army training
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. key — for a lock
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chest — of your body
  24. row — to paddle

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