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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 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. field — for sport
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. field — farmland
  9. content — happy
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. field — a subject
  13. date — the fruit
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. content — the amount
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bat — the animal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. hide — animal skin

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