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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · content · drill · mate · tube · stick · last · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. date — the fruit
  3. tube — the underground
  4. drill — army training
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. last — to go on
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. drill — a practice
  12. tube — a container
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. last — finally
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. mate — to breed
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. last — final
  24. content — the amount

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