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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: kid · stand · drill · mark · bore · pit · game · scale

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. drill — a practice
  3. kid — to tease
  4. drill — the tool
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stand — to bear
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. drill — army training
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pit — in a race
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bore — to drill
  16. scale — in music
  17. game — a match
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. kid — child
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. mark — to pay attention

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