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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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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: net · march · sharp · bound · snap · drill · saw · calf

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. sharp — clever
  3. march — the month
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. drill — a practice
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bound — obliged
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. drill — army training
  12. snap — to click
  13. bound — certain
  14. march — the month
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. net — in sport
  18. drill — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. march — music
  21. bound — tied together
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. sharp — exactly

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