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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: saw · march · nail · bound · object · mine · pit · pitch

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. march — the month
  4. mine — for digging
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. march — music
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. march — the month
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. object — an aim
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — a thing
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bound — obliged

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