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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 · wind · snap · ball · fine · sharp · ground · present

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. ground — a position
  4. present — a gift
  5. ground — crushed
  6. sharp — clever
  7. present — the time now
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ball — a dance
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. drill — the tool
  14. ground — the earth
  15. drill — a practice
  16. fine — all right
  17. drill — army training
  18. snap — to click
  19. present — there
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. sharp — exactly

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