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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.

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: fan · mine · net · drill · fork · land · bass · pit

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bass — the fish
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. land — a country
  6. net — in sport
  7. drill — the tool
  8. net — for catching
  9. fork — in a road
  10. pit — a hole
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. land — ground
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pit — in a race
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. net — after costs
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. drill — army training
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bass — low music

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