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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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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 · game · drill · ground · wound · bear

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. drill — army training
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. ground — a position
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bear — the animal
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pit — a hole

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