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

Word bank: row · file · drill · court · tear · present · hand · club

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. hand — in cards
  3. file — a document
  4. tear — to rip
  5. club — a group
  6. tear — from crying
  7. club — for golf
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. file — a line of people
  11. present — a gift
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. present — the time now
  14. file — a tool
  15. club — for dancing
  16. court — of a king
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. hand — help
  19. drill — a practice
  20. tear — from crying
  21. row — to paddle
  22. court — of law
  23. court — for sport
  24. present — there

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