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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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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. drill — army training
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mark — a trace
  7. land — a country
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. board — to get on
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. row — to paddle
  14. drill — a practice
  15. land — ground
  16. mark — a grade
  17. land — to come down
  18. board — a committee
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. drill — the tool
  24. board — a flat piece

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