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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 · trunk · ball · arm · pound · swing · sharp · current

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. current — of water
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. swing — in golf
  15. drill — army training
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. current — happening now
  18. pound — a weight
  19. swing — music
  20. current — electric
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. swing — to play on
  24. arm — part of the body

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