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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. net — after costs
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fine — all right
  10. face — to point toward
  11. net — in sport
  12. face — to confront
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. net — for catching
  16. row — to paddle
  17. face — part of the head
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fine — high quality
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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