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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. chest — a box
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. game — wild animals
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. drill — the tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. row — a line
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. march — music
  13. bass — low music
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. march — the month
  16. chest — of your body
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. bass — the fish
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. row — to paddle
  23. drill — army training
  24. march — the month

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