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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: plane · sharp · rash · drill · roll · fork · content · bound

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  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. drill — a practice
  2. content — happy
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. roll — a list
  5. sharp — clever
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. rash — hasty
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. plane — a tool
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bound — tied together
  12. drill — army training
  13. bound — certain
  14. content — the amount
  15. rash — a series
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bound — obliged
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. roll — a cake
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — a garden tool
  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