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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: ruler · sharp · plane · leaves · drill · court · last · can

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. court — for sport
  3. can — a tin
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. drill — a practice
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. plane — a tool
  9. last — final
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. can — to be able to
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. drill — the tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. last — to go on
  17. court — of a king
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. last — finally
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. court — of law
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. drill — army training

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