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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 · board · land · pop · perch · saw · pitch · mine

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. saw — the tool
  8. drill — the tool
  9. land — ground
  10. pop — soda
  11. pitch — completely
  12. board — to get on
  13. land — to come down
  14. drill — army training
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mine — for digging
  18. land — a country
  19. perch — the fish
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. board — a committee

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