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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 · kid · pitcher · date · season · stand · ball · craft

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. ball — a dance
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stand — to bear
  5. craft — boats
  6. ball — a great time
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. season — in sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kid — to tease
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. drill — a practice
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. drill — the tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. kid — child
  19. drill — army training
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. craft — a skill
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. date — on the calendar

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