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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. craft — a skill
  4. pit — a hole
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. file — a tool
  9. content — the amount
  10. file — a document
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. toast — bread
  13. file — a line of people
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. craft — boats
  16. pit — in a race
  17. drill — army training
  18. content — happy
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. drill — a practice
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. branch — a division
  24. lie — to recline

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