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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 116 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. bound — tied together
  5. branch — a division
  6. bound — certain
  7. content — happy
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — in a race
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. drill — a practice
  13. swing — to play on
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. last — to go on
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. last — finally
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bound — obliged
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. last — final
  23. pit — a hole
  24. nail — for a hammer

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