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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.

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: pitch · cabinet · date · dip · mine · drill · kid · fine

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. fine — high quality
  3. date — the fruit
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pitch — completely
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fine — all right
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. drill — army training
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. kid — child
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. drill — the tool
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to sink
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mine — for digging

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