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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: season · drill · hide · cell · scale · kick

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. scale — size or range
  6. drill — a practice
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. drill — the tool
  9. season — of the year
  10. scale — in music
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. season — in sport
  14. cell — a phone
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. cell — in biology
  17. drill — army training
  18. kick — with a leg

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