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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.

Make a worksheet

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: straw · march · net · pit · hide · drill

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. net — after costs
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pit — in a race
  5. net — for catching
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pit — a hole
  8. drill — army training
  9. march — the month
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. drill — the tool
  12. march — the month
  13. drill — a practice
  14. net — in sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. march — music

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