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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: wind · bat · chip · drill · leaves · nail · content · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. content — happy
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wind — moving air
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. drill — the tool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wind — moving air
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. drill — army training
  24. nail — on a finger

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