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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: field · drill · pit · racket · face · ruler · pitcher · mate

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. field — farmland
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. field — for sport
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. drill — army training
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. pit — in a race
  11. field — a subject
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mate — a friend
  15. face — to point toward
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. drill — a practice
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mate — a partner
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. ruler — for measuring

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