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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · season · tear · drill · object · present

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. drill — army training
  3. season — in sport
  4. tear — from crying
  5. object — a thing
  6. drill — a practice
  7. tear — from crying
  8. object — to protest
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pit — a hole
  11. present — a gift
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pit — in a race
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — there
  16. object — an aim
  17. season — of the year
  18. tear — to rip

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