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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: face · bulb · drill · pit · fine · ground · chip · race

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. face — to confront
  4. race — the arms race
  5. pit — in a race
  6. fine — all right
  7. drill — army training
  8. face — to point toward
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chip — for betting
  12. race — humankind
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — crushed
  15. race — a contest
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. chip — to eat
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. pit — a hole
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ground — the earth

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