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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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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: court · row · bay · band · mouse · drill · sharp · fall

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. drill — the tool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. band — a music group
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. band — a ring
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. court — of law
  18. row — to paddle
  19. drill — army training
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. row — a line
  23. sharp — exactly
  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