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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. kid — child
  5. pit — in a race
  6. land — ground
  7. deal — to handle
  8. fine — high quality
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. fine — all right
  12. drill — a practice
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kid — to tease
  23. drill — the tool
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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