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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 · bark · roll · sharp · snap · ground · rule · temple

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. drill — a practice
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ground — the earth
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. rule — government
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. roll — a list
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. ground — crushed
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. drill — the tool
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. snap — to click
  20. ground — a position
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. drill — army training
  23. roll — a cake
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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