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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 · nail · bowl · perch · sharp · lean · court · track

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. drill — army training
  6. track — to keep track
  7. drill — a practice
  8. track — a song
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. court — of law
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. lean — to bend
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lean — thin
  16. court — of a king
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. court — for sport
  23. perch — the fish
  24. track — a path

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