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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 116 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: racket · bark · drill · file · bulb · cap · mouse · sharp

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cap — a hat
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bulb — for light
  15. sharp — clever
  16. drill — army training
  17. bulb — for light
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bark — to shout
  24. file — a tool

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