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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · roll · land · drill · sharp · kid · safe · toast

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. ground — crushed
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. ground — the earth
  7. land — ground
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. land — to come down
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. land — a country
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. toast — bread
  17. sharp — clever
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. kid — child
  21. roll — a cake
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. drill — the tool
  24. ground — a position

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