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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.

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: staff · hide · sharp · saw · mine · drill · ball · game

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. mine — for digging
  5. sharp — clever
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. ball — a great time
  10. drill — army training
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. saw — the tool
  13. drill — the tool
  14. game — wild animals
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. staff — a stick
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. game — a match
  23. drill — a practice
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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