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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. spell — letters
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. prune — to trim
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. drill — army training
  12. spell — magic
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. spell — a short time
  15. cell — in biology
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bulb — for light
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. sharp — clever
  21. pitch — completely
  22. drill — a practice
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. cell — in a prison

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