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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: bass · row · chest · ball · drill · file · spell · rock

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bass — the fish
  6. drill — army training
  7. file — a tool
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bass — low music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. drill — a practice
  12. row — a line
  13. ball — a great time
  14. file — a document
  15. drill — the tool
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. ball — a dance
  20. file — a line of people
  21. spell — letters
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — music
  24. spell — magic

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