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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: rule · spring · sharp · drill · bass · bay · pop · track

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. sharp — clever
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. track — a song
  7. bass — low music
  8. pop — music
  9. rule — government
  10. bass — the fish
  11. drill — a practice
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rule — a law
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. spring — the season
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pop — to visit
  21. track — a path
  22. spring — of water
  23. pop — soda
  24. track — to keep track

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