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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: bound · bass · fan · staff · pit · squash · mate · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bass — low music
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pit — in a race
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. staff — employees
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bound — certain
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mate — to breed
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. squash — the sport
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bound — tied together

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