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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: nail · sharp · track · rule · kick · cap · bark · drill

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. track — a song
  4. sharp — clever
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bark — to shout
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. drill — a practice
  10. track — a path
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rule — a law
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. track — to keep track
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rule — government
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. drill — army training
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. cap — a lid

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