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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: tear · content · bank · lie · drill · suit · pit · race

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. bank — for money
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. suit — to fit
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bank — of a river
  10. drill — a practice
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. suit — clothes
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pit — in a race
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. drill — army training
  19. race — humankind
  20. bank — for money
  21. lie — to recline
  22. suit — in cards
  23. pit — a hole
  24. tear — from crying

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