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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: temple · spell · drill · sharp · key · clip · pitcher · board

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. sharp — clever
  3. spell — letters
  4. board — a committee
  5. clip — for paper
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. clip — a video
  12. drill — army training
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. key — for a lock
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. board — to get on

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