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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 120 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: pitcher · pop · face · drill · rule · sharp · lean · nail

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pop — music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. lean — thin
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. drill — a practice
  13. lean — to bend
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rule — government
  16. pop — soda
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. sharp — clever
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rule — a law
  24. lean — to rest against

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