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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. drill — a practice
  3. content — the amount
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. spell — magic
  8. track — a song
  9. content — happy
  10. pit — a hole
  11. track — to keep track
  12. face — part of the head
  13. kid — to tease
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. pit — in a race
  16. spell — a short time
  17. face — to point toward
  18. drill — the tool
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. face — to confront
  21. kid — child
  22. drill — army training
  23. track — a path
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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