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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. root — of a word
  5. drill — a practice
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. tube — a container
  8. drill — the tool
  9. row — a line
  10. face — to point toward
  11. club — for golf
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. sharp — clever
  15. face — to confront
  16. root — of a plant
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. club — a group
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. club — for dancing
  21. root — the cause
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. drill — army training

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