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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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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: drill · fork · pit · mug · rule · hand · sharp · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. hand — in cards
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. drill — army training
  8. fork — in a road
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. mug — a face
  13. rule — a law
  14. mug — to rob
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pit — in a race
  19. sharp — clever
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. pit — a hole
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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