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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 116 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: trunk · race · pit · rest · drill · content · cell · fan

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. race — a contest
  3. rest — a break
  4. race — humankind
  5. pit — a hole
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rest — what's left
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. rest — what's left
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pit — in a race
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. content — the amount
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. content — happy

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