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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: pit · mark · fine · pop · last · file · drill · cold

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. file — a document
  3. pit — in a race
  4. fine — all right
  5. file — a line of people
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. pit — a hole
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cold — not warm
  14. file — a tool
  15. pop — soda
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cold — an illness
  19. last — to go on
  20. mark — a grade
  21. drill — the tool
  22. last — finally
  23. drill — army training
  24. last — final

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