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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 120 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: nail · hand · game · drill · season · row · wave · pass

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. game — wild animals
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. row — to paddle
  9. hand — help
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pass — a permit
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. row — a line
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. drill — army training

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