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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. drill — army training
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. drill — the tool
  5. rush — hurry
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. track — a path
  8. row — a line
  9. drill — a practice
  10. track — to keep track
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. row — to paddle
  16. wound — an injury
  17. track — a song
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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