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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 116 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 · object · sharp · leaves · mine · scale · season · bat

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. drill — a practice
  3. sharp — clever
  4. object — an aim
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mine — for digging
  9. drill — army training
  10. season — in sport
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. scale — in music
  13. season — of the year
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. object — a thing
  16. drill — the tool
  17. scale — size or range
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bat — the animal
  20. object — to protest
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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