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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: drill · track · present · saw · sharp · squash · game · perch

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. drill — army training
  6. present — there
  7. track — to keep track
  8. drill — the tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. present — a gift
  13. sharp — clever
  14. squash — to crush
  15. game — wild animals
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. saw — the tool
  22. perch — the fish
  23. game — a match
  24. present — the time now

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