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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 · leaves · pit · saw · staff · drill · rash · sharp

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. land — to come down
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rash — a series
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. staff — employees
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. saw — the tool
  10. staff — employees
  11. drill — the tool
  12. pit — in a race
  13. drill — army training
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. land — ground
  18. drill — a practice
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. staff — a stick
  22. land — a country
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pit — a hole

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