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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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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: season · sharp · fall · bay · drill · arm · pound · kid

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. fall — to drop
  3. drill — a practice
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. pound — a weight
  8. drill — army training
  9. kid — to tease
  10. season — in sport
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. season — of the year
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. fall — to drop
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fall — the season
  19. kid — child
  20. sharp — clever
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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