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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. club — for golf
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. club — for dancing
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rock — music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fall — to drop
  18. degree — an amount
  19. drill — a practice
  20. rock — a stone
  21. fall — the season
  22. club — a group
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fall — to drop

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