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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: season · object · toast · drill · bat · swing · mine · scale

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bat — the animal
  5. season — of the year
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mine — for digging
  9. swing — to play on
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — to protest
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. swing — in golf
  15. toast — bread
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. season — in sport
  18. scale — in music
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. swing — music
  23. object — a thing
  24. scale — size or range

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