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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 120 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: nail · dip · season · field · drill · kid · pit · ruler

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. drill — army training
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pit — a hole
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. season — in sport
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. field — for sport
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. kid — child
  13. season — of the year
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. field — farmland
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pit — in a race
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. dip — to sink
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. field — a subject

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