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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
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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: fine · wound · spell · clip · drill · rule · foot · row

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fine — all right
  9. drill — army training
  10. spell — magic
  11. drill — a practice
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. clip — a video
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. wound — an injury
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. drill — the tool
  20. spell — letters
  21. fine — high quality
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a quarrel

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