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

Word bank: rash · ruler · bowl · row · staff · coach · clip · season

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. season — in sport
  6. rash — a series
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. clip — a video
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. staff — a stick
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. row — a line
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. staff — employees
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rash — hasty
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. staff — employees
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. season — of the year
  24. row — a quarrel

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