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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. plane — a tool
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. band — a music group
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bat — the animal
  14. band — a ring
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. drill — army training
  18. mark — a trace
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. sharp — clever
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mark — a grade
  23. content — the amount
  24. band — a rubber band

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