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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: sharp · calf · rest · band · swing · track · drill · last

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. last — final
  3. track — a path
  4. drill — the tool
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. last — to go on
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. swing — to play on
  11. last — finally
  12. drill — army training
  13. track — a song
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rest — what's left
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. swing — in golf
  18. band — a ring
  19. rest — a break
  20. swing — music
  21. track — to keep track
  22. drill — a practice
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. sharp — with an edge

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