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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: deal · drill · pitch · leaves · game · pit · sharp · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pitch — completely
  9. drill — army training
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pit — in a race
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pit — a hole
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. sharp — clever
  19. deal — to handle
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. deal — a big deal

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