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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 · fan · pitch · bound · fine · file · bulb · tear

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bulb — for light
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bound — certain
  8. drill — a practice
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. drill — army training
  15. bound — tied together
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fine — high quality
  22. tear — from crying
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fine — a penalty

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