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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: mine · fine · pitch · drill · deal · squash · board · pound

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fine — all right
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. squash — the sport
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a committee
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mine — for digging
  17. squash — to crush
  18. drill — army training
  19. deal — to handle
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pound — a weight
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pitch — completely

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