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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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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. field — farmland
  3. mate — a partner
  4. drill — army training
  5. last — finally
  6. mate — a friend
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bore — to drill
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — completely
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bank — of a river
  13. field — for sport
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. field — a subject
  16. bore — to tire
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mate — to breed
  19. last — to go on
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bank — for money
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bank — for money
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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