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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: drill · mouse · bay · wound · pitch · pop · temple · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pop — to visit
  16. drill — army training
  17. suit — to fit
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wound — an injury
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pitch — a sports field

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