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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: mouse · march · squash · row · drill · ground · pit · game

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. march — the month
  3. ground — the earth
  4. march — the month
  5. game — a match
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. game — wild animals
  9. march — music
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. drill — a practice
  14. squash — the sport
  15. drill — army training
  16. row — a line
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. ground — a position
  19. pit — in a race
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pit — a hole
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. ground — crushed
  24. squash — the vegetable

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