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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a line
  5. hand — in cards
  6. firm — steady
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. hand — help
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. drill — the tool
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. firm — decided
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. firm — a company
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — army training
  21. pit — in a race
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. hand — part of the body
  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