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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
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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: bulb · drill · pitcher · swing · field · ground · safe · content

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — army training
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. content — happy
  6. swing — in golf
  7. ground — crushed
  8. drill — a practice
  9. field — for sport
  10. swing — music
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. content — the amount
  14. field — a subject
  15. ground — the earth
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bulb — for light
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. ground — a position
  23. field — farmland
  24. content — videos and posts

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