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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: field · drill · craft · mine · straw · toast · sharp · rush

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. drill — a practice
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. craft — a skill
  5. field — for sport
  6. drill — army training
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. toast — bread
  10. field — a subject
  11. mine — for digging
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. craft — boats
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rush — hurry
  22. field — farmland
  23. drill — the tool
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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