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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: tear · racket · leaves · scale · pitch · mate · drill · cold

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. cold — not warm
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. scale — size or range
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. tear — from crying
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. scale — in music
  15. mate — a friend
  16. cold — an illness
  17. tear — to rip
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. drill — army training
  22. mate — to breed
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mate — a partner

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