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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mug · squash · content · mine · race · pitch · drill · leaves

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. content — happy
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. drill — army training
  7. race — a contest
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. content — the amount
  10. drill — a practice
  11. race — humankind
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. mug — a cup
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pitch — completely
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. squash — to crush
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mug — a face
  24. mine — belonging to me

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