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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
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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: season · bass · bay · bound · drill · object · pit · kid

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bound — certain
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. drill — the tool
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. object — a thing
  9. pit — a hole
  10. drill — army training
  11. object — an aim
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. kid — child
  14. season — in sport
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. object — to protest
  19. drill — a practice
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. kid — to tease

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