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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: foot · hand · bound · saw · drill · stick · fall · chip

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bound — obliged
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. saw — the tool
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hand — help
  11. drill — army training
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bound — tied together
  14. hand — in cards
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. drill — a practice
  22. chip — to eat
  23. fall — the season
  24. bound — certain

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