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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. 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. sharp — exactly
  2. drill — a practice
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. land — a country
  5. drill — army training
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. perch — the fish
  10. land — to come down
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. land — ground
  14. sharp — clever
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. drill — the tool
  18. 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