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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — a practice
  4. row — to paddle
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. file — a document
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. scale — in music
  13. row — a line
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rush — hurry
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. scale — size or range
  23. drill — the tool
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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