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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 · bound · sharp · hand · straw · bulb · track · pit

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. hand — help
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pit — a hole
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bulb — for light
  7. drill — army training
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pit — in a race
  15. track — a song
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bound — certain
  20. track — to keep track
  21. sharp — clever
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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