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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 116 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: drill · march · pit · land · present · lie · pitcher · safe

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. march — the month
  4. land — ground
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. land — to come down
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. drill — a practice
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. drill — army training
  11. present — a gift
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. drill — the tool
  16. march — the month
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. present — there
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. present — the time now
  22. march — music
  23. pit — a hole
  24. land — a country

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