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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. mug — a cup
  3. face — part of the head
  4. hand — help
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mug — to rob
  7. hand — in cards
  8. band — a ring
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. face — to point toward
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mug — a face
  14. wax — to grow
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. row — to paddle
  17. face — to confront
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. drill — army training
  22. row — a line
  23. band — a music group
  24. bowl — a dish

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