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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 to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. pit — a hole
  3. row — a line
  4. court — of law
  5. drill — a practice
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pit — in a race
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. court — of a king
  16. lie — to recline
  17. band — a music group
  18. court — for sport
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. band — a ring
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. drill — army training
  24. rash — a series

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