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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. drill — army training
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. row — to paddle
  6. drill — a practice
  7. band — a ring
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. row — a line
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. band — a music group
  14. saw — the tool
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. saw — the tool
  17. drill — the tool
  18. sharp — clever

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