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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 116 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bat — the animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. board — a committee
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. deal — to handle
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. staff — employees
  16. board — to get on
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. content — happy
  21. content — the amount
  22. saw — the tool
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. deal — a big deal

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