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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: squash · bear · drill · fall · spring · pit · pitch · toast

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. spring — of water
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fall — the season
  11. drill — army training
  12. toast — bread
  13. pit — in a race
  14. spring — the season
  15. pit — a hole
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spring — a coil
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pitch — completely
  22. fall — to drop
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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