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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. content — the amount
  6. file — a document
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. content — happy
  10. pit — a hole
  11. file — a tool
  12. pit — in a race
  13. club — a group
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. game — wild animals
  16. file — a line of people
  17. game — a match
  18. drill — army training
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. club — for golf
  24. content — videos and posts

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