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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: pound · fork · hand · spell · bore · chip · bass · drill

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. hand — in cards
  4. chip — for betting
  5. spell — letters
  6. bass — the fish
  7. spell — magic
  8. bass — low music
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. drill — army training
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bore — to drill
  20. drill — a practice
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bore — to tire
  23. chip — to eat
  24. hand — part of the body

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