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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: mug · ground · pass · bound · mine · drill · pitch · temple

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. mug — a cup
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. mug — to rob
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. ground — a position
  9. pitch — completely
  10. ground — the earth
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. drill — army training
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mug — a face
  19. bound — tied together
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. ground — crushed
  24. drill — a practice

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