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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. land — to come down
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. file — a document
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. row — a line
  9. pitch — completely
  10. mate — a friend
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mate — a partner
  18. staff — employees
  19. file — a tool
  20. land — a country
  21. drill — army training
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. staff — a stick
  24. land — ground

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