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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  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. sharp — clever
  3. drill — the tool
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. drill — army training
  9. branch — a division
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. kick — in football
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. ball — a great time
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bay — a horse colour
  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