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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.

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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: saw · stock · ball · pitcher · pound · rash · drill · game

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. game — a match
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pound — a weight
  10. stock — shares
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a great time
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stock — goods
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. saw — the tool
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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