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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: track · leaves · drill · sharp · toast · shower · ruler · mine

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. toast — bread
  4. track — a path
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. drill — army training
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. shower — rain
  16. drill — a practice
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. shower — to wash
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. mine — for digging
  24. track — a song

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