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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: date · pit · bowl · rest · root · lean · drill · content

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rest — a break
  3. content — happy
  4. date — the fruit
  5. lean — thin
  6. content — the amount
  7. rest — what's left
  8. root — the cause
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. drill — the tool
  11. root — of a plant
  12. drill — army training
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rest — what's left
  20. root — of a word
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  24. lean — to rest against

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