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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 116 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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. land — a country
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. land — ground
  9. rule — a law
  10. drill — army training
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. land — to come down
  14. sharp — clever
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. kick — in football
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. drill — a practice
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hide — animal skin

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