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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · drill · track · cue · sharp · cell

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. land — to come down
  3. track — a path
  4. drill — a practice
  5. track — to keep track
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. drill — the tool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. land — a country
  11. cell — in biology
  12. land — ground
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. track — a song
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cell — a phone

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