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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: last · bay · pitch · fork · pound · drill · deal · squash

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. drill — the tool
  3. last — to go on
  4. pound — a weight
  5. drill — army training
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pitch — completely
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. drill — a practice
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. last — final
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. deal — to handle
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. squash — to crush
  24. last — finally

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