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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. drill — the tool
  4. kid — child
  5. rock — a stone
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pit — in a race
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rock — music
  12. land — to come down
  13. snap — to click
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — a hole
  16. land — ground
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. season — of the year
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. land — a country
  24. kid — to tease

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