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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: rule · nail · rest · row · mug · clip · drill · spell

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. rest — a break
  3. rule — a law
  4. drill — a practice
  5. spell — letters
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — to rob
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rule — government
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rest — what's left
  14. spell — a short time
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. row — a line
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mug — a face
  21. drill — the tool
  22. spell — magic
  23. clip — a video
  24. drill — army training

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