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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: hand · mark · pit · fine · drill · toast · key · branch

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. hand — in cards
  6. key — for a lock
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. toast — bread
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. key — in music
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. key — the most important part
  16. drill — army training
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pit — in a race
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. mark — a grade
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hand — help
  24. fine — all right

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