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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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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: track · sharp · fall · straw · last · cabinet · drill · object

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. sharp — clever
  3. track — a song
  4. fall — the season
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. last — final
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. drill — the tool
  10. object — an aim
  11. drill — a practice
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. fall — to drop
  14. object — to protest
  15. fall — to drop
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. drill — army training
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. last — to go on
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. object — a thing
  24. sharp — exactly

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