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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: drill · nail · stand · arm · cold · key · row · season

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. row — to paddle
  3. season — of the year
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. key — in music
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. drill — army training
  11. cold — not warm
  12. drill — the tool
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — for a lock
  15. stand — to bear
  16. row — a line
  17. cold — an illness
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. drill — a practice
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. season — in sport
  24. cold — the Cold War

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