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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: wind · arm · row · key · pit · rush · drill · lash

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. drill — army training
  8. rush — hurry
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pit — in a race
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. key — the most important part
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wind — moving air
  18. key — for a lock
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. row — to paddle
  21. drill — a practice
  22. key — in music
  23. pit — a hole
  24. lash — to lash out

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