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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: drill · lean · pit · saw · hand · sharp · ball · cue

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pit — a hole
  3. drill — a practice
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. hand — in cards
  7. saw — the tool
  8. drill — the tool
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. saw — the tool
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cue — for pool
  15. lean — thin
  16. cue — a signal
  17. pit — in a race
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. ball — a great time
  20. sharp — clever
  21. drill — army training
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cue — a hint

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