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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 120 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: drill · pit · tube · rest · mark · content · wound · nail

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. content — the amount
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pit — in a race
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pit — a hole
  6. rest — what's left
  7. drill — army training
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. drill — the tool
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mark — a trace
  15. tube — a container
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mark — a grade
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rest — a break
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rest — what's left
  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