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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 120 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: ground · face · saw · sharp · drill · racket · bear · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. sharp — clever
  3. saw — the tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bear — the animal
  6. club — for golf
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bear — the animal
  9. club — a group
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. drill — the tool
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. drill — army training
  20. ground — crushed
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. ground — a position

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