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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: nail · march · tear · racket · cap · cue · roll · row

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. cap — of ice
  4. march — the month
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cap — a lid
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. cap — a hat
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cue — a signal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. roll — a cake
  16. march — music
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tear — to rip
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — for pool
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. march — the month

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