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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. row — to paddle
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. capital — money
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. capital — a city
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cell — a phone
  17. saw — the tool
  18. row — a line
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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