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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: drill · net · wound · key · present · file · straw · pitch

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. file — a tool
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wound — an injury
  5. net — for catching
  6. wound — an injury
  7. drill — the tool
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. key — the most important part
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. present — the time now
  13. drill — army training
  14. net — after costs
  15. key — in music
  16. file — a document
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. pitch — completely
  20. net — in sport
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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