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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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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: row · current · rash · bowl · ruler · drill · chip · march

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. drill — a practice
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. drill — the tool
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. drill — army training
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. chip — to eat
  16. march — the month
  17. row — a line
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. march — music
  20. rash — a series
  21. march — the month
  22. chip — for betting
  23. current — of water
  24. bowl — a football final

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