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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: saw · row · pitch · bay · fall · drill · staff · game

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pitch — completely
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fall — to drop
  10. saw — the tool
  11. staff — employees
  12. row — a line
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. staff — employees
  18. drill — the tool
  19. fall — the season
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. drill — a practice
  22. row — to paddle
  23. game — a match
  24. fall — to drop

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