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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: date · drill · mine · pitch · suit · mug · net · prune

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mug — a cup
  4. drill — the tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pitch — completely
  10. date — the fruit
  11. drill — army training
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — clothes
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. mug — to rob
  16. suit — in cards
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mine — for digging
  19. prune — to trim
  20. drill — a practice
  21. net — in sport
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. mug — a face

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