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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · staff · firm · drill · rule · straw

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rule — a law
  7. firm — steady
  8. drill — the tool
  9. row — to paddle
  10. drill — army training
  11. row — a line
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. drill — a practice
  15. rule — government
  16. staff — employees
  17. firm — decided
  18. straw — dry grass

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