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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. saw — the tool
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pit — a hole
  6. drill — a practice
  7. roll — a cake
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. roll — a list
  11. spring — a coil
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. kick — in football
  15. march — the month
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. drill — army training
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. saw — the tool

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