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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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. bowl — a dish
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bulb — for light
  6. hand — help
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rush — hurry
  12. kid — child
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. kid — to tease
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. drill — a practice

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