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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · game · key · land · wind · saw · mouse · drill

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. saw — the tool
  8. game — wild animals
  9. land — ground
  10. key — the most important part
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. drill — army training
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wind — moving air
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. key — in music
  21. land — a country
  22. wind — moving air
  23. saw — the tool
  24. land — to come down

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