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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 112 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: drill · fine · squash · mine · bay · pit

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fine — all right
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pit — in a race
  7. fine — high quality
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. squash — the sport
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pit — a hole
  16. drill — the tool
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush

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