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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. drill — a practice
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. row — to paddle
  6. drill — army training
  7. charge — in control
  8. rest — a break
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. charge — electricity
  14. drill — the tool
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cold — not warm
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. swing — music
  23. charge — a price
  24. cold — the Cold War

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