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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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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: row · lean · board · cold · court · deal · drill · sharp

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. lean — thin
  3. drill — the tool
  4. row — a line
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. sharp — clever
  14. lean — to bend
  15. board — a committee
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. drill — army training
  18. court — of a king
  19. drill — a practice
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. board — to get on

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