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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: stick · date · bat · ruler · sharp · mug · cap · drill

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. drill — a practice
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bat — the animal
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. date — the fruit
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. cap — a hat

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