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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.

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: bark · bowl · foot · lie · season · row · date · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. season — of the year
  5. foot — a measure
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. row — a line
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. date — the fruit
  17. drill — army training
  18. season — in sport
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. foot — part of the body

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