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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: content · cabinet · pit · chest · nail · rule · staff · drill

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. content — the amount
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. content — happy
  6. staff — employees
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pit — a hole
  9. staff — employees
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. drill — army training
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. staff — a stick
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rule — a law
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. rule — government
  24. nail — for a hammer

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