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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. chest — a box
  4. drill — the tool
  5. root — of a word
  6. band — a music group
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. band — a ring
  12. root — of a plant
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — a price
  16. chest — of your body
  17. content — happy
  18. charge — electricity
  19. drill — a practice
  20. root — the cause
  21. content — the amount
  22. toast — bread
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. chest — of your body

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