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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fork — in a road
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. date — the fruit
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. season — in sport
  12. drill — army training
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. content — the amount
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. vault — a safe
  18. season — of the year
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. date — on the calendar

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