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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: mug · sharp · squash · rest · drill · mine · clip · bass

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. squash — to crush
  5. drill — a practice
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mug — a face
  10. rest — a break
  11. clip — a video
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mug — a cup
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bass — low music
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bass — the fish
  24. clip — to cut

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