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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. drill — the tool
  4. spell — a short time
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. last — to go on
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — in football
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. sharp — clever
  11. spell — magic
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. drill — army training
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. drill — a practice
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. spell — letters
  19. last — final
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. last — finally

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