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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: game · drill · row · content · key · lie · race · rule

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. game — a match
  4. key — for a lock
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. race — a contest
  7. row — to paddle
  8. race — the arms race
  9. content — happy
  10. key — in music
  11. rule — government
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rule — a law
  14. content — the amount
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. drill — army training
  17. race — humankind
  18. game — wild animals
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. key — the most important part
  21. row — a line
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. drill — a practice

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