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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. drill — the tool
  3. spring — a coil
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. board — a committee
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. root — the cause
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pit — a hole
  12. spring — of water
  13. drill — army training
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. spring — the season
  17. board — to get on
  18. saw — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. content — happy
  21. content — the amount
  22. root — of a word
  23. saw — the tool
  24. root — of a plant

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