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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 · bound · clip · fine · drill · racket · calf · bat

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bound — tied together
  3. fine — all right
  4. drill — army training
  5. bat — the animal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bound — certain
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. clip — a video
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. drill — the tool
  19. clip — for paper
  20. sharp — clever
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bat — for baseball

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