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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: roll · row · drill · wind · pit · plane · charge · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pit — a hole
  4. wind — moving air
  5. drill — the tool
  6. field — farmland
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. charge — in control
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wind — moving air
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. plane — a tool
  15. roll — a cake
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — a price
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. roll — a list
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a line
  23. drill — army training
  24. field — a subject

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