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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pit — in a race
  6. march — the month
  7. mine — for digging
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. drill — a practice
  10. march — the month
  11. plane — a tool
  12. march — music
  13. drill — army training
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. toast — bread
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bore — to drill
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pit — a hole

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