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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
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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: fine · pitcher · season · sharp · drill · roll · wound · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. season — in sport
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — of the year
  13. fine — high quality
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. roll — a list
  16. drill — a practice
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wound — an injury
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fine — all right
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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