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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. land — to come down
  3. drill — army training
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. drill — the tool
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. last — final
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. row — a line
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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