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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · march · drill · racket · hand · pit · track · present

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. drill — the tool
  3. hand — help
  4. content — happy
  5. present — there
  6. present — the time now
  7. track — a song
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. present — a gift
  11. march — the month
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. content — the amount
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pit — in a race
  19. track — a path
  20. hand — in cards
  21. drill — army training
  22. march — the month
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. march — music

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