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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: wound · cell · tube · drill · pit · toast · craft · firm

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. firm — steady
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cell — a phone
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. pit — in a race
  9. craft — a skill
  10. drill — army training
  11. cell — in biology
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. drill — the tool
  14. firm — a company
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. tube — a container
  19. wound — an injury
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — bread
  22. firm — decided
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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