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

Word bank: pit · drill · rule · shower · pitch · temple

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a hole
  3. rule — government
  4. pitch — completely
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. shower — rain
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. drill — army training
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. rule — a law
  18. drill — a practice

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