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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. drill — a practice
  9. current — happening now
  10. row — to paddle
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. drill — army training
  13. shower — rain
  14. fork — in a road
  15. shower — to wash
  16. row — a line
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. current — of water
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. current — electric
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. fork — a garden tool

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