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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. drill — a practice
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bank — of a river
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bank — for money
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. file — a line of people
  14. drill — the tool
  15. rush — hurry
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bank — for money
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. drill — army training

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