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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: game · clip · last · row · ruler · bear · roll · drill

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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. drill — a practice
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. row — a line
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — a video
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. last — final
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. roll — a list
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bear — the animal
  14. roll — a cake
  15. game — a match
  16. clip — for paper
  17. game — wild animals
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bear — the animal
  20. drill — the tool
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  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