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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 120 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: deal · craft · pitch · drill · rule · track · mine · spring

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rule — government
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rule — a law
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. spring — a coil
  13. craft — boats
  14. pitch — completely
  15. track — a song
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. drill — army training
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mine — belonging to me

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