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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: field · drill · pit · pop · mug · stand · deal · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stand — to bear
  4. mug — a face
  5. deal — to handle
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. drill — army training
  10. pop — soda
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. pit — a hole
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pit — in a race
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. drill — the tool
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pop — music
  24. drill — a practice

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