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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. drill — the tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. band — a ring
  5. row — a line
  6. saw — the tool
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. drill — army training
  13. pit — a hole
  14. saw — the tool
  15. row — to paddle
  16. sharp — clever
  17. band — a music group
  18. drill — a practice
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. row — a quarrel

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