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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. last — final
  3. bank — for money
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bank — for money
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. board — a committee
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. last — finally
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. last — to go on
  16. sharp — clever
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. drill — army training
  19. saw — the tool
  20. drill — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bank — of a river
  23. saw — the tool
  24. perch — for a bird

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