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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: drill · safe · land · toast · band · court · bore · sharp

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. drill — army training
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bore — to tire
  8. court — of law
  9. bore — to drill
  10. drill — a practice
  11. toast — bread
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. band — a ring
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. land — a country
  19. sharp — clever
  20. band — a music group
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. court — of a king
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. drill — the tool

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