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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: mate · row · bass · fan · drill · ruler · deal · cell

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bass — low music
  9. row — a line
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bass — the fish
  12. drill — army training
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cell — a phone
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mate — a partner
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. drill — a practice
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cell — in biology

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