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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. drill — the tool
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — the amount
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. content — happy
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. drill — army training

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