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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. drill — army training
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pit — a hole
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bat — the animal
  9. drill — the tool
  10. last — final
  11. bank — of a river
  12. last — finally
  13. bank — for money
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bank — for money
  23. kid — child
  24. last — to go on

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