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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · drill · branch · kick · straw · court · hide · sharp

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. drill — the tool
  4. object — an aim
  5. sharp — clever
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. drill — army training
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. drill — a practice
  14. object — to protest
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. object — a thing
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kick — in football
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. branch — a division
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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