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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: drill · game · nail · pass · rash · saw · rush · temple

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. saw — the tool
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rash — hasty
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. drill — army training
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. rash — a series
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pass — a permit
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. nail — on a finger

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