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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · straw · roll · fine · tube · pitch · wound · drill

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. drill — army training
  4. fine — all right
  5. present — a gift
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. wound — an injury
  11. roll — a list
  12. drill — a practice
  13. roll — a cake
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fine — high quality
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. drill — the tool
  22. present — there
  23. wound — an injury
  24. present — the time now

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