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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: pitcher · drill · sharp · present · straw · spell · pound · club

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for dancing
  9. present — there
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. spell — letters
  17. present — the time now
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. present — a gift
  21. drill — army training
  22. spell — magic
  23. pound — a weight
  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