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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: lean · drill · sharp · march · cabinet · swing · craft · cold

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. drill — the tool
  3. craft — a skill
  4. swing — to play on
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. swing — music
  7. sharp — clever
  8. march — the month
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. swing — in golf
  12. lean — thin
  13. drill — army training
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lean — to bend
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. cold — an illness
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. march — music
  21. craft — boats
  22. march — the month
  23. drill — a practice
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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