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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
468
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: pop · scale · hand · drill · season · pass · pitcher · hide

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. scale — in music
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. scale — size or range
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pop — soda
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. season — of the year
  21. drill — a practice
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pass — to spend time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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