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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. game — a match
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. drill — army training
  7. current — of water
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. game — wild animals
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. drill — a practice
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cold — an illness
  23. mark — a trace
  24. row — a line

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