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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: drill · sharp · chip · date · hand · rest · wound · bay

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wound — an injury
  3. drill — army training
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. date — the fruit
  8. drill — a practice
  9. chip — to eat
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. chip — for betting
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wound — an injury
  21. drill — the tool
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. rest — a break
  24. date — on the calendar

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