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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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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: drill · rush · pass · perch · pit · land · cue · tear

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. pit — in a race
  5. land — ground
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cue — a hint
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pass — a permit
  10. cue — for pool
  11. perch — the fish
  12. cue — a signal
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pass — to spend time

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