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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: squash · present · content · jam · deal · drill · fall · pit

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. squash — the sport
  9. drill — army training
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. drill — a practice
  12. present — there
  13. content — the amount
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. deal — to handle
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — in a race
  19. drill — the tool
  20. content — happy
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. fall — to drop
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. present — the time now

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