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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.

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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 · last · rush · cap · nail · rule · lash · row

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. row — a line
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rule — government
  5. cap — a hat
  6. last — finally
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cap — a lid
  9. row — to paddle
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. last — to go on
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rule — a law
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. drill — army training
  21. last — final
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. drill — the tool
  24. nail — on a finger

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