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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: last · bowl · drill · racket · can · tear · row · staff

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. last — finally
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. can — to be able to
  7. tear — from crying
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. can — a tin
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. tear — from crying
  15. staff — employees
  16. last — final
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. staff — employees
  21. drill — army training
  22. last — to go on
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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