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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: pass · pit · swing · drill · cabinet · bowl · field · squash

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pit — in a race
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pit — a hole
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pass — a permit
  19. drill — a practice
  20. field — a subject
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. squash — the sport

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