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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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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: craft · pass · mine · drill · roll · jam · mark · bat

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. craft — boats
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. roll — a list
  16. pass — a permit
  17. roll — a cake
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. drill — the tool
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. craft — a skill

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