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

Word bank: toast · file · drill · bore · wound · key · chest · pit

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. file — a document
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. key — in music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pit — in a race
  13. drill — the tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. drill — army training
  16. chest — a box
  17. file — a tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. toast — bread

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