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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: fine · mine · calf · pit · drill · hide · tear · jam

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. fine — all right
  4. pit — a hole
  5. drill — the tool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fine — high quality
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. tear — from crying
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mine — for digging
  19. drill — army training
  20. pit — in a race
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mine — an explosive

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