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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 124 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: nail · bulb · sharp · drill · row · cap · pitcher · face

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. face — to point toward
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. row — a line
  8. drill — army training
  9. bulb — for light
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. nail — for a hammer

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