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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. file — a tool
  3. hand — in cards
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. file — a document
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hand — help
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. lie — to recline
  16. drill — army training
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. file — a line of people
  23. row — to paddle
  24. jam — a tight spot

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