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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 116 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. drill — a practice
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. track — a song
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. drill — the tool
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. saw — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. track — a path
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pit — a hole
  22. track — to keep track
  23. row — a line
  24. pit — in a race

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