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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
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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: drill · row · spell · deal · track · fine · fan · last

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. last — final
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — to handle
  6. last — to go on
  7. row — a line
  8. track — a song
  9. drill — a practice
  10. spell — letters
  11. drill — army training
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. last — finally
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a path
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. drill — the tool
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. spell — a short time
  23. row — to paddle
  24. fan — a supporter

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