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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: pitcher · wake · fork · drill · land · temple · cue · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cue — a hint
  4. land — ground
  5. drill — army training
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. drill — the tool
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cue — a signal
  16. drill — a practice
  17. land — to come down
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. land — a country
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cue — for pool

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