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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.

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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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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: pit · wind · mark · firm · land · drill · pop · snap

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. drill — the tool
  4. land — to come down
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. drill — army training
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pop — soda
  11. wind — moving air
  12. firm — steady
  13. mark — a grade
  14. firm — decided
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pit — in a race
  17. drill — a practice
  18. firm — a company
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pop — music
  21. land — a country
  22. snap — to click
  23. land — ground
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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